TSG let two-goal lead slip in Mainz defeat

Markus Gisdol made two changes to his starting line-up. Jannik Vestergaard and Sejad Salihovic, who was making his 150th Bundesliga appearance for TSG, both played from the start. Sven Schipplock was missing due to a yellow-card suspension. The match had barely begun before the action started. Hoffenheim's first venture into the box produced a penalty after Nikolce Noveski brought Kevin Volland to the ground. However, Salihovic couldn't mark his milestone match with a goal as his shot from 12 yards unusually cleared the crossbar.

TSG continued their push forward. Volland had two great chances after being put through one-on-one with the keeper, but each time the Germany U21 captain was well denied by Loris Karius. Anthony Modeste also came close with a header from a corner but it drifted wide of the post. Mainz hadn't come close to creating an opportunity.

When will the opener come?

Hoffenheim were clearly playing the better football and it was just a matter of time until they opened the scoring. It was the same story after half an hour. Salihovic's cross was only just missed by Firmino and the Brazilian also came close with an overhead kick moments later. The ball just didn't want to go in. Mainz finally had their first chance in the 35th minute and it looked a good one too. A ball in from Geis put Choupo-Moting in a great position but it was a swing and a miss from the FSV attacker. Vestergaard had another headed chance for TSG five minutes before the break, but the score remained 0-0 at half time.

There were no changes at the interval and TSG were immediately back in control in the second 45. Polanski picked off a clearance from a corner just outside the area and hammered the ball into the back of the net to break the deadlock. Just four minutes after the opener, Firmino controlled a pass by Johnson just short of the penalty area and struck a beautiful volley that left Mainz keeper Karius with no chance. With a 2-0 lead, Hoffenheim now looked very comfortable. Salihovic tested Karius with a free kick in the 54th minute but this time the Mainz keeper stood his ground.

Non-stop excitement in the closing stages

Hoffenheim continued to push forward and put pressure on Mainz despite their two-goal lead and were presented with further quality opportunities. Beck collected the ball in the opponents' half and found Volland unmarked in the centre, but his shot from around 20 yards just missed the target in the 64th minute. Then almost out of nowhere, Choupo-Moting scored for the visitors to get them back into the game after he connected with a Pospech cross.

TSG looked stunned and Mainz realised that this was their opportunity to strike. However, they required a great portion of luck to get back level in the game, as an attempted clearance rebounded off Saller over Casteels and into the back of the net. Hoffenheim were now completely derailed and just two minutes after conceding the equaliser, they went a goal behind as Choupo-Moting's cross found Okazaki, who headed home in the 75th minute to complete an almost unbelievable turnaround. Hoffenheim tried to fight back but Volland's and Beck's attempts were not on target. In the final stages, the hosts committed a lot of players forward and Mainz clinically used the open space they were given, as Okazaki scored his second goal of the day in stoppage time to wrap up a 4-2 win for Mainz.

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