Bundesliga
Borussia Mönchengladbach earned a 1-0 away win at bottom-placed Mainz thanks to an unfortunate Danny da Costa own goal in the Matchday 13 opener on Friday.
Mainz 0-1 Borussia MönchengladbachGoals: 0-1 Da Costa o.g. 58’
A new face in the dugout, but the same old problems for Mainz. Benjamin Hoffmann took interim charge following the midweek dismissal of Bo Henriksen, with the Nullfünfer languishing at the bottom of the Bundesliga after their joint-worst start to a top-flight season (W1, D3, L8). The U23 coach made seven changes to the team that slumped to a 4-0 defeat at Freiburg, hoping to end a home winless run stretching back to February.
Visitors Gladbach arrived in much better form under Eugen Polanski, having gone unbeaten in their previous four league matches before suffering a midweek cup exit to St. Pauli.
The first half offered little in the way of clear opportunities, though Gladbach came closest when Jens Castrop saw his close-range effort cleared off the line by Maxim Leitsch. From the resulting corner, the visitors thought they had taken the lead when Leitsch unfortunately headed into his own net, but VAR intervened to spot a handball by Yannik Engelhardt right on the goal line.
Mainz's biggest threat came when debutant Fabio Moreno Fell - remarkably playing sixth-tier football last season - struck both the crossbar and post in quick succession, though the flag was already raised for offside.
The second half saw Mainz start brightly with Nelson Weiper forcing a fine save from Moritz Nicolas when sent in behind by Kaishu Sano.
However, it was Gladbach who made the breakthrough in the 58th minute when a corner from the left was met by Haris Tabaković, whose header deflected off the back of Danny da Costa and looped into the far corner. It was a cruel blow for the Mainz defender in his 212th Bundesliga appearance, marking his first-ever own goal.
The hosts created their best chances through Weiper, who could only head narrowly wide from a great position after superb wing-play from Jae-sung Lee.
Gladbach remained dangerous on the counter, with Castrop and Shuto Machino both testing Daniel Batz with powerful efforts.
Despite mounting pressure in the closing stages and a flurry of substitutions, Mainz couldn't find a way through as Gladbach's defence held firm to secure all three points, leaving the Nullfünfer rooted to the bottom of the table.
The 22-year-old Gladbach captain was a commanding presence in midfield throughout the encounter. Reitz clocked the fastest speed of any player on the pitch at 34.03 km/h and covered an impressive 12.3 km.
Beyond his physical output, the midfielder demonstrated exceptional technical quality, consistently evading Mainz's pressure and driving his team forward with purpose. He came close to capping his performance with a goal in the closing stages, forcing Batz into a good save with a powerful strike from the edge of the area.
Reitz's mature display epitomised Gladbach's controlled performance that ultimately secured them three vital points.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Mainz 0.57 - Gladbach 1.69
Fastest player: Rocco Reitz (Gladbch), 34.03 km/h
Most pressed player: Haris Tabaković (Gladbach), 27 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Jae-sung Lee (Mainz), 2.05
Fantasy Heroes: Kaishu Sano (Mainz, 368 Points), Daniel Batz (Mainz, 236 Points), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach, 239 Points)