Dominant performance lifts Elversberg over Mainz and into European spots

A thrilling first-half display, highlighted by Felix Keidel’s stunning free-kick, put Elversberg firmly in control long before Cole Campbell’s superb stoppage-time volley added further gloss to the scoreline. Mainz, meanwhile, were left to reflect on a second consecutive league defeat.

Elversberg made an excellent start to the contest and took the lead inside seven minutes when Felix Keidel stepped up to curl a superb free-kick around the Mainz wall and beyond Robin Zentner. The hosts continued to apply pressure, with David Mokwa causing problems for the visitors’ backline and nearly creating a second for Lukas Petkov with a dangerous low cross.

Mainz struggled to settle into the game, and their defensive vulnerabilities were exposed again in the 26th minute. Mokwa did brilliantly to escape the attention of several defenders before finding Frank Onyeka, who showed good strength to hold off his marker and fire a low finish into the far corner to double Elversberg’s advantage.

The visitors attempted to respond through a series of corners but struggled to seriously test the home defence. Mokwa and Petkov both had opportunities to extend the lead further, while Mainz’s frustration was reflected in yellow cards for Phillipp Mwene and Danny da Costa.

Elversberg delivered another blow just before the interval when Zentner failed to deal convincingly with a corner, allowing Maurice Krattenmacher to collect the loose ball, turn inside the penalty area and find the far corner. The goal capped a dominant first-half display from the hosts, who headed into the break with a commanding three-goal advantage.

Elversberg naturally took their foot off the gas at the start of the second half with their three-goal cushion intact, allowing Mainz to grow into the game after struggling to make an impact before the break.

The visitors thought they had pulled one back through substitute Ransford Königsdörffer, who latched onto a ball over the top before lifting a finish over Nicolas Kristof. However, VAR intervened to rule out the goal for offside, further compounding Mainz’s misery.

Elversberg then threatened to add a fourth with 18 minutes remaining as Mokwa went in search of his goal. The striker held off Stefan Posch with ease before attempting to squeeze a finish underneath Zentner, but the Mainz goalkeeper made amends for his earlier struggles by getting a strong hand to the effort.

As the clock ticked beyond 90 minutes, Elversberg added further gloss to an impressive performance. Two substitutes combined, with Nicholas Mickelson picking out Cole Campbell inside the area before the forward controlled the ball on his chest and unleashed a superb volley beyond Zentner to make it 4-0.

However, Mainz immediately grabbed a consolation from the restart to deny the hosts a clean sheet. Some scrappy defending from Elversberg allowed Sheraldo Becker to cut the ball back from the byline, where Benedict Hollerbach bundled it over the line to make it 4-1.

There was still time for further drama, with Stefan Posch shown a second yellow card in the 95th minute following a poor challenge. It was another miserable moment for the visitors, who left empty-handed as Elversberg celebrated an emphatic 4-1 victory.