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TSG win hard-fought match in Mainz
Personnel & tactics:
There was a Bundesliga debut for Melayro Bogarde: the Dutchman, who turned 18 only two days ago and had never tasted top-flight action before, was included in the starting XI for the game against 1. FSV Mainz 05. The right-back played alongside Stefan Posch, Håvard Nordtveit and Steven Zuber in a back four protecting goalkeeper Oliver Baumann. Sebastian Rudy returned to the heart of midfield in place of the injured Florian Grillitsch and partnered Diadie Samassékou. The attacking midfield trio of Robert Skov, Christoph Baumgartner and Jacob Bruun Larsen remained unchanged, while Munas Dabbur kept his place at centre-forward.
An injury to Bruun Larsen forced head coach Alfred Schreuder to make a first change in the 38th minute, with Ihlas Bebou his replacement in a like-for-like switch. Kevin Akpoguma and Ermin Bičakčić then came on for Bogarde and Zuber at the break.
Maximilian Beier was introduced in place of Dabbur in the 72nd minute. Schreuder then used his fifth and final substitution to change up the midfield, with Baumgartner making way for Dennis Geiger on 86 minutes.
Moment of the match:
The winning goal: TSG Hoffenheim opened the scoring against the run of play when Diadie Samassékou played a brilliant ball into the path of Bebou, who outmanoeuvred two opponents before netting the only goal of the game with a well-placed shot into the bottom right corner.
Number of the game: 7
Referee Sascha Stegemann showed seven yellow cards in the first period – a joint Bundesliga record.
Line-ups:
FSV Mainz 05: Müller – Baku, Bruma, Hack (Brosinski, 46), Niakhate – Barreiro (Kunde, 76), Fernandes – Awoniyi, Beotius (Öztunali, 46), Quaison (Szalai, 76) – Mateta (Onisiwo, 46)
TSG Hoffenheim: Baumann – Bogarde (Akpoguma, 46), Posch, Nordtveit, Zuber (Bičakčić, 46) – Rudy, Samassékou – Skov, Baumgartner (Geiger, 86), Bruun Larsen (Bebou, 38) – Dabbur (Beier, 72)
Goal: 0-1 Bebou (43)
Match highlights
Skov goes directly for goal with a left-footed free-kick from the right. Müller reaches across for it and just about manages to keep it out.
Hoffenheim are awarded a penalty kick following a foul on Baumgartner. Zuber accepts responsibility and steps up to take it, but Müller dives down to his right and makes the save.
Quaison shoots directly at goal from a free-kick more than 20 metres out. Baumann is beaten but fortunately the ball strikes the inside of the post and bounces away from danger.
Hoffenheim have a huge chance to score out of the blue. They launch a counter-attack following a Mainz corner and Dabbur plays a brilliant ball to Skov, who has an unchallenged run at the Mainz goal from the halfway line. The Dane’s shot goes narrowly wide of the far post, however.
Great forward ball to pick out a team-mate by Samassekou. Bebou makes it his in the box and then places a shot into the bottom right corner from a centre-left position. Nice goal!
Good opportunity for TSG to strike on the counter, but Dabbur’s shot from inside the area is kept out by Müller.
Baumann fails to clear the ball inside the six-yard box. A goalmouth scramble ensues, but Bicakcic and Nordtveit combine to thwart the danger.
Huge chance to make it 2-0 out of nothing. Beier does well to assert himself and shoots from an unmarked position in the box, but Müller stops it with his foot.
Match facts and statistics »
