Mainz secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Augsburg in an intense Bundesliga showdown, with both teams reduced to 10 men. Jonathan Burkardt’s brace and late VAR drama capped off a fiery encounter
Introduction:
The two teams were reduced to 10 men by the final whistle as Augsburg suffered a topsy-turvy 3-2 loss to Mainz in a blazing Bundesliga clash on Friday. The game was an emotional roller coaster ride with quick-fire goals, sending offs, and late drama giving the match enough talking points. It all began with two early double strikes from Mainz.
The match began with Mainz shooting out of the blocks with serious intent. Phillipp Mwene was instrumental in his side’s early dominance through giving out two decisive assists within two minutes. In the 13th minute, a perfectly weighted cross into the box from Mwene found Armindo Sieb, who made no mistake heading the ball past Augsburg’s keeper.
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Mainz did not lie back on their laurels, however, and only two minutes passed before Mwene had another chance. This time, his cross was not cleared, and Jonathan Burkardt applied an equally successful head to double the advantage for Mainz. Two goals within two minutes of each other seemed to be a pretty good start for Mainz.
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Augsburg Reaction and Schlotterbeck Goal
Augsburg were determined not to let the game slip away from their hands. On the 25th minute, they managed to get back into the game. A free kick delivered into the box created a mess. Keven Schlotterbeck was the fastest one on the scene and blasted it past Manninger from close range after a scramble near the middle of the box.
This gave new life to Augsburg as they began to pile on the pressure, searching for an equalizing goal. With a late challenge by midfielder Nadiem Amiri, his second yellow card of the game, Mainz would need to play with ten men from the 35th minute onwards.
Burkardt’s Brilliance and Essende’s Red Card
Despite being a man down, Mainz was still a threat on the attack, with Burkardt and company really spearheading the effort. Burkardt made it two goals for him just a few minutes short of the break as a simply worked team move ended and he found himself at the right place to slot one into the back of the net; an exercise in coolness and clinical finishing, this ensured that Mainz resumed the game with a sizeable two-goal cushion.
Augsburg, however, refused to accept defeat. In the 57th minute Samuel Essende equalized again, but he celebrated for just three minutes: Mainz’s Dominik Kohr was beaten up by him after a fight at the kick from his back, and Essende had to be sent off. Augsburg and Köln played the last 30 minutes with 10 men versus each other.
VAR Drama and Late Controversy
The match’s last minutes were full of drama and controversy. In stoppage time, Augsburg seemed to think they had earned themselves a penalty when Keven Schlotterbeck appeared to be fouled by Silvan Widmer in the penalty area. The home fans erupted into celebratory mode as Augsburg were poised to level the score from the spot.
But the decision was reversed by a lengthy VAR review and Augsburg fans left disappointed by that outcome. The Mainz coach was very confident that the right decision had been made saying, “Of course not, for me it wasn’t a penalty. We gave everything tonight, it was a great evening for us.”
Augsburg midfielder Elvis Rexhbecaj was angry over the decision: “It’s outrageous,” he said, changing his mind later on, after watching a replay, when he acknowledged the referee had judged it rightly. Still, he couldn’t keep his anger back. “We should have had something with 30 attempts. Very, very hard to take,” he said.
Post-Match Reactions
Speaking after the match, Mainz’s Jonathan Burkardt, who scored two goals to be the hero of the match, showed his thoughts on this high-octane game. “It was an unbelievable game for neutral spectators-there was a lot going on,” said Burkardt in DAZN.
For Augsburg, this was a hard pill to swallow and surely considering the number of chances they had; 30 goal attempts and wide dominance over the course of the game left them wondering how they did not take anything from it. However it proved too much for Mainz in the end as Burkardt played sharp and proved too good for Augsburg’s nerves.
Dramatic Night for Football Fans
Among the endless pace of the match and a large number of goal-scoring chances, the dubious VAR decision was on display, as Augsburg left disappointed with no reward, and Mainz made merry at the victory in a hard-fought win that musters up the will to be effective on such stressful days.