Stuttgart demolish Mainz, plunge Pfälzer deeper into chaos
The internal crisis plaguing Bundesliga club FSV Mainz 05 could only have been worsened by a 4-1 shellacking from visiting Stuttgart.
| Opel Arena. | Photo: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
The Rheinhessen held on to their slender lead for nearly the entire first half, with Boetius only just missing a chance to double the advantage in the 25th. After fending off die Schwaben for much of the opening 45. Unfortunately, they couldn't preclude Gonzalo Castro's fine layoff for Silas Wamangituka's equalizer in the 45th.
Stuttgart were far the better side after the break. With the Nullfünfter losing so many balls in midfield, it only seemed a matter of time before the plucky guests would open up the floodgates. Sasa Kalajdzic unselfishly set up Daniel Didavi for a tap in to put Stuttgart 2-1 ahead in the 61st. Mainz tried to get their offensive in gear, but were completely broken when central defender Moussa Niakite was sent off on a yellow accumulation in the 77th.
Substitute Mateo Klimowicz would add another tally in the 80th before Kalajdzic rendered the humiliation complete in the 86th. Tensions boiled over on the pitch thereafter as Stuttgart defender Pascal Stenzel also saw red in the first minute of injury time.
Tipped by many as the most likely club to finish bottom of the table, Mainz's disastrous start to the season surely leads 05er sporting director Rouven Schröder considering changes at the top to stop the slide.