Sancho brace fires Dortmund past Mainz

Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Mainz

Goals: 1-0 Sancho (18’), 2-0 Sancho (24’), 2-1 Quaison (84')

Mainz survived an early scare when captain Danny Latza turned a BVB corner onto his own post and then goalkeeper Florian Müller produced an excellent save to deny Jacob Bruun Larsen. The visitors’ luck quickly ran out, however, when Mario Götze took down a long ball from full-back Marius Wolf on his chest and picked out Sancho perfectly at the far post for his 9th Bundesliga goal of the season. The English winger quickly took that tally into double figures when he turned home a low Thomas Delaney cross, albeit with a little help from a deflection of Jean-Philippe Gbamin. In a rare Mainz attack, Karim Onisiwo saw a clever flick come off the outside of the post late.

The second half was an almost mirror image of the first as the away side came out with greater intent and Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Bürki was twice called into action to thwart Jean-Philippe Mateta’s header and then Jean-Paul Boetius’ driven free-kick. Onisiwo then struck the frame of the Dortmund goal for a second time as Dortmund struggled to get out of their own half and exert any control on the play. Marco Reus had a chance to put the game to bed in the closing minutes but he dragged wide after neat interplay between Sancho and Götze. Mainz made the hosts pay, though, when Robin Quaison turned home a loose ball in the box with just over five minutes remaining. Borussia, however, held on by the skin of their teeth after Bürki clawed the ball off the line three times following a Mainz corner in the dying minutes.

• Dortmund remain unbeaten at home in the league this season (W13, D2).
• They have scored at least two goals in all 15 Bundesliga home games in 2018/19. Never before had Borussia scored multiple goals in 15 consecutive home matches.
• Sancho ended his longest Bundesliga drought of five games without a goal.
• The 19-year-old is the youngest Dortmund player in history to score 10 goals in a Bundesliga season.
• This was his second Bundesliga brace after Matchday 9’s 2-2 draw against Hertha Berlin.
• Mainz have lost their last six away games in a row, conceding 19 goals.

Dortmund: Bürki - Wolf (Zagadou 78'), Weigl, Akanji, Diallo - Witsel, Delaney - Sancho, Reus (c), Bruun Larsen (Philipp 72’) – Götze (Toprak 89')
Unused subs: Hitz, Alcacer, Dahoud, Schmelzer
Out: Guerreiro (muscular), Hakimi (metatarsal), Piszczek (foot), Pulisic (thigh)
Coach: Lucien Favre

Mainz: Müller - Donati, Hack, Niakhate, Martin - Gbamin, Kunde (Baku 46’), Latza (c) (Ujah 82') - Boetius - Onisiwo, Mateta (Quaison 56’)
Unused subs: Zentner, Maxim, Bell, Brosinski
Out: Abbas (thigh), Adler (knee), Baku (match fitness), Bungert (flu), Burkardt (flu), Holtmann (thigh), Mwene (knee)
Coach: Sandro Schwarz