Mainz secured its first Bundesliga victory with a key role played by Phillipp Mwene’s crosses, winning 3-2 against Augsburg on Friday.
Despite being down to 10 players for most of the match after Nadiem Amiri received a red card just before halftime, Mainz still managed to clinch the win. Augsburg also had a player sent off 20 minutes before the end.
Mainz, starting as the underdog, took an unexpected lead in the 13th minute when Armindo Sieb headed in Mwene’s cross from the side. Just two minutes later, Jonathan Burkardt scored another goal from another cross by Mwene, making it 2-0.
Augsburg fought back in the 25th minute when Keven Schlotterbeck found space in the box and scored.
The situation worsened for Mainz when Amiri received two quick yellow cards in the 33rd and 35th minutes, leaving them with only 10 men.
However, Mainz showed strong determination and scored again, with Burkardt finding the net in the 49th minute to make it 3-1.
Samuel Essende scored for Augsburg but was quickly sent off for violent conduct just 13 minutes later, leaving both teams with 10 players for the final 20 minutes.
Augsburg tried hard to equalize but couldn’t manage it, staying in 12th place, while Mainz moved up to 10th.
