TSG 1899 Hoffenheim has once again revealed their home weakness in the Bundesliga.
Coach Pellegrino Matarazzo’s team couldn’t get past a 1-1 (0-1) draw against relegation-threatened FSV Mainz 05 and has only celebrated one win in six appearances at the Sinsheim stadium in this first half of the season. Interim coach Jan Siewert scored his fifth point in the third game for the guests and recommended himself for permanent employment. The Rheinhessen are still waiting for their second win of the season.
In front of 22,000 spectators, Marco Richter (39th minute) took the lead with his first goal for FSV. Robert Skov (49th) equalized for the Kraichgauer. TSG goalkeeper Oliver Baumann saved at least one point for the home team when he saved a penalty from Aymen Barkok (69).
Loud music was booming from the Hoffenheim team bus as it turned into the stadium – the TSG professionals around ex-Mainz player Anton Stach and DFB squad newcomer Grischa Prömel had to find their rhythm for a long time on the pitch. The cleverly staggered Mainz team kept their penalty area clean until the quick Maximilian Beier got into shooting position for the first time after a good 20 minutes, but failed from an acute angle as well as from the turn shortly afterwards.
Otherwise, too many play errors crept into the hosts’ mostly unimaginative game to put the zero fives in trouble. All of a sudden, Mainz’s opening goal came when Edimilson Fernandes tore the TSG defense apart with a long pass on the left and Richter rushed up and away and shot past Oliver Baumann. Shortly afterwards, the Hoffenheim keeper prevented the 0:2 against Barkok.
In a wild scene immediately before the break, Hoffenheim missed the chance to equalize five times – including Marius Bülter’s header into the post. The Mainz team, whose personnel had been severely reduced, was at least able to call on their captain Silvan Widmer for the first time after five months of downtime. The sorely missed attacker Jonathan Burkardt made his comeback as a substitute after a year out due to bone marrow edema in the knee and two operations.
With three substitutions, Matarazzo revived the home team. Joker Pavel Kaderabek sent a wide cross to Skov, who was left alone, who scored to make it 1-1. After that it went back and forth happily. According to video evidence, referee Deniz Aytekin awarded a penalty after Jae Sujng Lee was hit in the penalty area. But Baumann dived into the right corner for Barkok’s shot. The TSG captain was extremely lucky when Richter hit the crossbar with two free kicks in the final phase and thus missed a winning goal for the generally more active Mainz team.
