Quaison hat-trick as Mainz hammer Bremen

Werder Bremen 0-5 Mainz
Goals: 0-1 Quaison (10'), 0-2 Pavlenka (o.g. 15'), 0-3 Quaison (19'), 0-4 Quaison (38'), 0-5 Mateta (81')

If Bremen thought it couldn't get any worse after losing 6-1 away to defending champions Bayern Munich last weekend, they couldn't have been more wrong. The Green-Whites invited the run of former player Levin Öztunali, who slipped in Quaison to thunder a superb first-time finish beyond Jiri Pavlenka. The Bremen stopper was credited with an own goal five minutes later when Milos Veljkovic's miscalculated clearance from Öztunali's right-wing cross struck the woodwork and went in off Pavlenka's back. Quaison extended Mainz's lead with a composed finish to Jean-Paul Boetius' defence-splitting pass, before arriving unmarked to turn home Adam Szalai's near-post flick following an Aaron Martin corner to complete his hat-trick.

Bremen struck a post through Leonardo Bittencourt towards the end of a chastening first-half, but almost shipped a fifth soon after the restart when Mainz defender Daniel Brosinski curled a free-kick into the side netting. Bittencourt sent another promising opening to reduce the arrears wide, before substitute striker Claudio Pizarro had an effort - which would have extended the Peruvian's scoring record to 22 consecutive Bundesliga seasons - ruled out for handball. Werder continued to push for an unlikely way back, but were found wanting defensively in the closing stages as substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta raced clear and slotted under Pavlenka for his first goal of the campaign following injury and Mainz's fifth of the night, leaving Bremen hovering precariously above the relegation zone.

• Mainz recorded their biggest away win, whilst scoring four first-half goals for the second time in their Bundesliga history.
• The 05ers kept their first clean sheet of the campaign; Bremen have shipped 40 goals in 16 league games this term.
• Quaison scored his first Bundesliga hat-trick. The Sweden international is on seven goals for the season - as many as he scored over the entire course of 2018/19.
• Mateta, Mainz's 14-goal top scorer in 2018/19 and the last Mainz player to net a Bundesliga hat-trick, grabbed his first goal in seven months.
• Mainz have scored 13 goals in five games under Achim Beierlorzer. Cologne, Beierlorzer's former club, registered 10 in 11 prior to his dismissal as coach.
• Öztunali made 41 Bundesliga appearances for Bremen between January 2015 and June 2016, producing two goals and seven assists.

Watch: Quaison: "It was a perfect evening"

Bremen: Pavlenka – Lang (Bartels 80'), Veljkovic, Moisander (c), Augustinsson – M. Eggestein, Sahin (J. Eggestein 27'), Klaassen – Bittencourt, Osako (Pizarro 69'), Rashica
Unused subs: Kapino, Friedl, Groß, Goller, Woltemade
Out: Bargfrede (thigh), Füllkrug (torn ACL), Gebre Selassie (groin), Langkamp (back), Möhwald (knee), Sargent (torn hamstring), Toprak (calf)
Coach: Florian Kohfeldt

Mainz: Zentner – Hack, Fernandes (Brosinski 27'), Niakhate (c) – Öztunali, Baku, Kunde (Barreiro 78'), Martin – Boetius – Quaison, Szalai (Mateta 67')
Unused subs: Müller, Pierre-Gabriel, Maxim, Awoniyi, Burkhardt, Gürleyen
Out: Bell (ankle), Ji (knee), Latza (back), Onisiwo (knee), St. Juste (suspended)
Coach: Achim Beierlorzer