Bundesliga
Mario Götze and Randal Kolo Muani combined to earn Eintracht Frankfurt a share of the points in a 1-1 draw at Mainz on Matchday 15.
Mainz 1-1 Frankfurt
Goals: 1-0 Burkardt 40' (assist: Oniwiso), 1-1 Kolo Muani 67' (assist: Götze)
Frankfurt came into this game having won four of their previous five Bundesliga outings, including their last two against Augsburg and Hoffenheim, and duly began with the air of a side brimming with confidence. Yet it was Mainz who created the first openings, with Burkardt seeing his shot blocked following some neat interplay on the edge of the box, before Dominik Kohr drilled wide against his former teammates from the ensuing corner. Randal Kolo Muani probably should have done better when he was found unmarked inside the Mainz area, only for a clumsy first touch to let him down. There were further chances at either end in an open, entertaining encounter but it was the hosts who struck first when Burkardt smashed in from close range after Frankfurt failed to properly clear a corner.
It remained a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of game after the interval, even if the traffic was more towards the Mainz goal now. Daichi Kamada very nearly provided the spark for a Frankfurt equaliser when he bamboozled two defenders on the left before crossing for Junior Dina Ebimbe, but the French youngster skewed his close-range shot wide under pressure. Kolo Muani showed him how it was done a little while later, latching on to Mario Götze’s brilliant flick before rounding Robin Zentner and smashing in to level the score. Götze went close to adding his own name to the scoresheet shortly afterwards after Zentner had dashed off his line to clear, but the World Cup-bound midfielder’s long-range lob was hooked off the line just in time by the relieved Mainz custodian. It was the visitors who looked more likely to find a winner in the closing stages, but Mainz held firm to take a share of the spoils.
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Mainz: Zentner - Fernandes, Bell, Hack - Widmer (c) (da Costa 67'), Barreiro, Kohr, Aaron (Caci 84') - Stach (Lee 84'), Onisiwo (Ingvartsen 84'), Burkardt (Barkok 73')
Unused subs: Dahmen, Tauer, Fulgini, Burgzorg
Out: Leitsch (exhaustion), Mustapha (thigh)
Coach: Bo Svensson
Frankfurt: Trapp (c) - Tuta, Jakic (Smolcic 46'), Ndicka - Dina-Ebimbe, Kamada, Sow, Knauff (Pellegrini 59') - Lindström (Rode 59', Alario 90'), Götze - Kolo Muani
Unused subs: Ramaj, Toure, Wenig, Alidou, Borre
Out: Buta (knee), Hasebe (knee), Lenz (thigh)
Coach: Oliver Glasner