Mainz continue Bundesliga tumble after brave resistance vs. Bayern Munich

Mainz is not having a good year in the Bundesliga. After Saturday’s 1-3 home defeat to the German record champions Bayern Munich, Die Nullfünfer sit second-to-last in the Bundesliga table — with last-place Köln having a game in hand.

Still, it was a brave resistance from a side that did not look as lackluster as their 0-2-6 record suggests. While Bayern has been exemplary — a 6-2-0 record to reflect Mainz’s troubles back at them — the home side fought from start to finish and will have many missed chances to rue.

“We actually made a good start, but then made individual errors. You can’t do that against Bayern,” said sporting director Martin Schmidt among reactions from the Mainz camp gathered by FCBayern.com. “That said, we had two or three presentable chances that didn’t go in. We lost in the end, but there was a lot to like, especially in attack, which the fans appreciated. I’m sure results will pick up in the coming games.”

Center-back Stefan Bell concurred and described his side’s relentlessly physical approach. “I don’t think anyone’s beaten Bayern in the Bundesliga without outrunning them,” he added. “That has to be the foundation. I’m impressed we had more shots on goal, and it felt that way in the game. It was pretty open and we had some good spells, but the more effective team won.”

Finally, head coach Bo Svensson weighed in, saying: “You need luck on your side at the right time against Bayern — a mistake going unpunished or the ball hitting the back of the net instead of the woodwork. We saw that in our last three wins against them. Even so, we had some decent spells, but our mistakes were ruthlessly punished. That’s why I’m a bit annoyed because we made it a bit too easy for them.”

Indeed, Mainz is no stranger to delivering Bayern defeats. The Bavarians suffered 3-1 losses in each of the 2022/23 and 2021/22 seasons, while Mainz claimed a 2-1 win at the end of 2020/21 as well.

On this day, though, Bayern took the spoils and Mainz have some major ground to gain to pull themselves out of the relegation zone. Mainz’s next game is on the road to also winless VfL Bochum on Friday.

Looking for more analysis on Bayern Munich’s big 3-1 victory over Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga? Check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Podcast on Spotify or below: