Borussia Dortmund weathered a fierce first-half storm and came back stronger in the second, scoring twice to secure a 2-0 win over an unlucky Mainz side at the Opel Arena on Tuesday.
Match Highlights
Mainz dominated the opening half, putting Dortmund under serious pressure with Suat Serdar hitting the bar and Abdou Diallo narrowly missing with a header. Borussia Dortmund struggled to find their rhythm, with only a rare counter-attack from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang threatening the home side. The first half ended goalless.
However, Dortmund came out firing in the second half, showing sharper attacking prowess. Sokratis Papastathopoulos opened the scoring in the 55th minute, tapping in from a header off the post by Omer Toprak. Shinji Kagawa wrapped up the victory in injury time with a neat finish set up by Aubameyang.
First Half Action
Mainz started with intent, nearly scoring in the seventh minute when Serdar’s fierce strike rattled the crossbar, leaving goalkeeper Roman Burki stunned. Despite having more possession, Dortmund failed to create clear chances, with Serdar coming close again with a volley that flew over the bar in the 13th minute.
Dortmund seemed subdued and lacking confidence. Mainz’s Diallo forced some pressure, and Aubameyang’s one-on-one effort went wide just before halftime.
Second Half Excitement
Dortmund turned the tide after the break. Following Toprak’s header that struck the woodwork, Papastathopoulos was at hand to finish from close range. Dortmund continued to press, with Raphael Guerreiro nearly doubling the lead but was denied by a top save from Robin Zentner.
Mainz offered little response as Dortmund looked more likely to seal the game. In the 80th minute, Yarmolenko’s assist found Kagawa whose close-range effort was blocked brilliantly by Zentner. However, Kagawa had the last laugh, converting Aubameyang’s assist late on.
Final Score: Mainz 0 – 2 Borussia Dortmund
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