Borussia Dortmund suffered a setback after victories over Leipzig and Graz. The 3-1 defeat in Mainz was foreshadowed early on – due to a disservice from captain Emre Can.
At first everything in Mainz had pointed to a classic distribution of roles: BVB, with Ryerson for the suspended Bensebaini, started with dominance on the ball, but didn’t create any chances – so that lurking Mainz, with da Costa for the ailing Leitsch (muscular problems), after just under a quarter of an hour became significantly braver.
Can’s disservice – Lee in focus
Very disruptive hosts quickly made a more grippy and better impression. Burkardt even had a great chance to take the lead after a pass from Amiri (18th). The pendulum swung even more for Mainz after 27 minutes when BVB captain Can cleared Lee at ankle height: red for the central defender. A disservice.
While Dortmund were still waiting for their first shot on goal, Lee, of all people, struck a little later: After two Mainz crosses, the Borussia defense lost track and the attacker easily headed in from a few meters (36th).
The guests were able to overcome this setback. Just four minutes after falling behind, Guirassy converted a penalty kick caused by Lee (40th). Almost with the half-time whistle, Burkardt completed a fine Mainz attack on the right side (45th + 3), so that the FSV went into the catacombs with a narrow 2-1 lead – not undeservedly.
Dortmund’s dominance failed to materialize at the start of the second half. And things got even worse for the guests. After a strong shift from Sano, Mwene served Nebel on the five, which made it 3-1 (54th). BVB hadn’t really gotten back into the game at this point, and the bilious Mainz team managed cleverly.
In this way, of course favored by the majority, the Henriksen team had a better sniff of the 4:1 than their guests did at 3:2. Brandt used Malen on the counterattack, but the hundredweight was only able to check to a limited extent (66th). Otherwise, BVB tried in vain; there was no serious danger or even a moment of urgency, with the exception of an unsuccessful shot from Schlotterbeck (83′).
In the end, FSV, who no longer necessarily played for the fourth goal, safely secured their first home win in the sixth attempt, while Borussia, following the recent upward trend, also failed to win their fifth Bundesliga away game (four defeats).
In the first game after the international break, Dortmund hosts SC Freiburg (November 23rd, 3:30 p.m.). One day later, Mainz visits Kiel (3:30 p.m.).
