Mainz on Monday returned to winning ways and climbed off the relegation play-off spot after grabbing three vital points following a victory over struggling Freiburg, who suffered their fourth straight loss, reports Xinhua news agency.
Due to the importance of the game, both sides staged a cautious start to the game. Mainz tried to assume control of the proceedings on the pitch whereas Freiburg defended well in their own territory.
The teams neutralised each other's actions on the pitch with the result that clear-cut chances were at a premium in the first 45 minutes.
Just when referee Guido Winkmann whistled for the half time, the video referee alerted Winkmann for a consultation regarding a hand ball by Freiburg's Daniel Brosinski inside the box in the dying seconds of the first half.
After consultation, both teams had to return to the pitch as Mainz's Pablo De Blasis stepped up to make no mistake opening the scoring from the penalty spot. Hence, Mainz took a 1-0 advantage into the break.
After the restart, Freiburg pressed forward and tried to turn things around. However, things went from bad to worse as goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow's intercepted pass allowed Robin Quaison to set up for De Blasis, who poked home his second of the night into the open goal in the 79th minute.
Christian Streich's men threw everything up front but it wasn't enough as Nils Petersen rattled only the woodwork in the closing period.
With the result, Mainz snapped their six-game winless run to move on to the 15th place and out of the drop zone whereas Freiburg slipped to the 16th position and into the relegation battle.
(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
