Dortmund heartache as title slips away

Dortmund 2-2 Mainz
Goals: 0-1 Hanche-Olsen 15' (assist: Fernandes), 0-2 Onisiwo 24' (assist: Lee), 1-2 Guerreiro 69' (assist: Reyna), 2-2 Süle 90'+6 (assist: Reyna)

Dortmund began on the front foot as they went in search of the victory they so desperately desired, with Donyell Malen firing off the first shot of the game from the edge of the box. It looked like a sign of things to come, only for Mainz to completely upend BVB's plans for the day by taking the lead when Edmilson Fernandes's corner from the left was glanced in at the near post by Andreas Hanche-Olsen. It went from bad to worse for Dortmund when Sebastien Haller saw his penalty saved after Dominik Kohr fouled Raphael Guerreiro, before Karim Onisiwo headed in the visitors' second of the game to give Mainz the lead at the break, leaving Bayern Munich top of the standings at that point.

There were plenty more twists to come on a wild afternoon, however. Dortmund poured forward as they searched for a way back into the game - by full time they had had 30 shots on goal - but they struggled to break down a deep-lying Mainz side initially. That all changed with the introduction of Gio Reyna midway through the half, and he soon set up Guerreiro to pull a goal back from the edge of the area. Mainz retained a threat on the break, with Onisiwo even hitting the post, but Edin Terzic's side had to keep attacking. Marco Reus, Mats Hummels and Haller all went close with efforts that went agonisingly wide and while there was brief hope of glory when word spread that Cologne had equalised against Bayern, news soon filtered through that the defending champions had scored again. Niklas Süle struck deep into stoppage time to salvage a draw, but it was ultimately not enough for Dortmund to win the Meisterschale.

• Onisiwo is now Mainz's all-time leading scorer in the Bundesliga with 32 goals.
• The Austrian forward hit double figures for the first time ever in a single-season, finishing the campaign with 10 league goals.
• Mainz have set a new club record for Bundesliga goals in a single season, their haul of 54 surpassing the previous best of 52 set in 2010/11 and 2013/14.
• Marius Wolf turned 28 on the day of the game.
• Mainz have avoided defeat on four of their last six trips to Dortmund (W2, D1).
• After 11 consecutive home wins in 2023, Dortmund dropped points at the Signal Iduna Park for the first time this season.

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Watch: Can: "We were so close"

Dortmund: Kobel - Wolf (Moukoko 46'), Süle, Hummels (c), Ryerson (Modeste 80') - Brandt (Duranville 62'), Can, Guerreiro - Malen (Reyna 63'), Haller, Adeyemi (Reus 40')
Unused subs: Meyer, Schlotterbeck, Özcan, Bellingham
Out: Bynoe-Gittens (shoulder), Coulibaly (international duty), Meunier (adductor)
Coach: Edin Terzic

Mainz: Dahmen - Hanche-Olsen, Bell, Fernandes - Caci, Barreiro, Kohr, Martin - Stach (Barkok 80'), Lee (Ingvartsen 66') - Onisiwo (c) (Mustapha 90'+1)
Unused subs: Rieß, Laux, Gruda, Burgzorg, Weiper
Out: Ajorque (suspended), Burkardt (knee), Hack (groin), Leitsch (match fitness), Widmer (ankle)
Coach: Bo Svensson

Watch: Terzic: "We're really sad"

Watch: Tearful Terzic was cheered by the Yellow Wall