Mateta hat-trick sinks Freiburg

Freiburg 1-3 Mainz
Goals: 1-0 Mateta (1'), 2-0 Mateta (34'), 3-0 Mateta (40'), 3-1 Petersen (63')

Mateta was a menace from the get-go at the Schwarzwald-Stadion, the Frenchman opening his account with barely a minute on the clock following a tenacious challenge in midfield and defence-splitting pass from Leandro Barreiro. Mateta had the chance to double his tally soon after, but delayed his shot before squaring for Jean-Paul Boetius - his indecision allowing Freiburg defender Dominque Heintz to get in a crucial block. Mateta went for power over precision with his next attempt from inside the Freiburg area, with Florian Müller making a brave stop he knew very little about. The Mainz-owned custodian thwarted Boetius, but was beaten twice before the first half was up. Mateta completed his brace after Müller could only parry Robin Quaison's low drive, and made it three when he latched on to Boetius' eye-of-the-needle pass before finishing with aplomb.

Freiburg were fortunate not to fall further behind on the hour. Barreiro sent Mateta through on goal, but he could not find the target from a tight angle after rounding Müller. Despite creating little - aside from Christian Günter's first-half effort into the side netting - the home side reduced the arrears with 27 minutes of normal time remaining. Roland Sallai forced a save from Robin Zentner, and Nils Petersen reacted fastest to bury the rebound. Zenter repelled a fierce Günter strike as Mainz began to feel the pressure, before Lucas Höler flicked agonisingly wide following a spot of penalty-box pinball. Having dropped seven points from winning positions this season, Mainz were grateful to see Freiburg substitute Ermedin Demirovic's injury-time effort chalked off for a foul as they held on for a priceless victory - Jan-Moritz Lichte's first as a Bundesliga coach, and one that lifts his side off the foot of the table into 15th place.

• Mainz ended a run of eight Bundesliga matches without a win, dating back to the penultimate weekend of last season.
• Following the opening day 3-2 win at VfB Stuttgart - in which Petersen scored the opener - Freiburg have picked up just three points from their subsequent seven games.
• Mateta became the first Mainz player to score a Luppenreiner hat-trick - three uninterrupted goals in one half - in Mainz's Bundesliga history.
• The French striker has scored eight times in four Bundesliga meetings with Freiburg, including two hat-tricks, making the Black Forest club his favourite opponents.
• Petersen scored his fourth of the season. Freiburg have netted nine all told.
• Freiburg's Spartak Moscow-owned attacker Guss Til made his Bundesliga debut.

Watch: Mateta: "I won't stop here"

Freiburg: Müller - Schmid, Lienhart, Heintz, Günter (c) - Sallai, Santamaria (Til 88'), Tempelmann (Höfler 45'+4), Grifo - Höler (Demirovic 84'), Petersen
Unused subs: Uphoff, Gulde, Itter, Schlotterbeck, Jeong, Keitel
Out: Abrashi (not included), Flekken (elbow), Haberer (ankle), Kübler (groin), Kwon (not included)
Coach: Christian Streich 

Mainz: Zentner - St. Juste, Hack, Niakhate, Brosinski (c) - Fernandes (Kunde 70'), Barreiro - Öztunali, Boetius, Quaison (Onisiwo 70') - Mateta (Ji 80')
Unused subs: Dahmen, Martin, Kilian, Stöger, Tauer, Ji, Issah
Out: Burkardt (cold), Latza (suspended), Mwene (ankle), Szalai (knee)
Coach: Jan-Moritz Lichte

Watch: Boetius: "Victory tastes like sugar"