TSG 2-0 winners over Mainz!

Tactics and line-up:

Manager Markus Gisdol made three changes to the side that started last time out against SC Freiburg. The first of those came in the back four, with Tobias Strobl replacing David Abraham at the heart of the defence. The usual 4-2-3-1 formation was retained, with Eugen Polanski returning in holding midfield in place of Pirmin Schwegler, who dropped to the bench. The only change up top was a switch of striker, with former Mainz man Adam Szalai preferred to Anthony Modeste.

Match highlights:

12th minute:WOODWORK! The first chance of the game comes the way of the hosts, but Kevin Volland's header from a corner is tipped onto the bar by Karius and it stays out!

23rd minute:First good chance of the game for the visitors. Okazaki squares the ball looking for Malli and it somehow finds its way to the attacking midfielder, but he puts his close-range effort wide.

27th minute:Sejad Salihovic lets fly from outside the area and it takes an acrobatic stop from Loris Karius to keep it out.

32nd minute:Okazaki plays Clemens in but he is only able to find the side netting. TSG get lucky!

47th minute:WHAT A SAVE! Oliver Baumann does brilliantly to keep out Clemens after he had been played one-on-one with the goalkeeper by De Blasis.

55th minute:GOOOOAAAAALLLL for TSG!!! 1-0: Roberto Firmino and Kevin Volland break clear from the halfway line, before the Brazil international squares it for the Germany U21s captain to bury the ball into the back of the net!

67th minute:Volland does well to win the ball back deep inside Mainz's half and he lays the ball off for Schipplock. The substitute finds Firmino in the middle but his flick is turned behind for a corner.

76th minute:GOOOOOAAAAALLL for Hoffenheim!!! 2-0: Captain Andreas Beck provides the overlap down the right hand side and whips the ball to the back post. Substitute Eugen Polanski is waiting and nods home to double TSG's advantage!

81st minute:CLOSE! Pirmin Schwegler delivers a free kick right onto the head of Ermin Bicakcic but the centre back's effort goes just over the bar.

87th minute:Mainz press for a goal but Tobias Strobl does well to get in the way and block Okazaki's goal-bound shot!

Moment of the match:

"There will come a time when we'll beat Mainz,” was what Eugen Polanski said before the game. And he helped TSG do that with their second goal of the afternoon. Since joining Hoffenheim, Polanski has never beaten his former club Mainz. But now he has and TSG's number 8 played a part in that with his well-placed header.

Number of the match: 62.6

TSG completed 310 passes in Mainz's half over the course of the game, with a pass-completion rate of 62.6%. That's a good number when you think about how compact their opponents play. In comparison, FSV only completed 57.5% of their passes in TSG's half, surely a factor in Hoffenheim's success.

Match facts and statistics »