Matthew Marshall – MEWA Arena – Mainz got back to winning ways in the Bundesliga with a convincing 4-1 victory against Augsburg. The match was over at half time with the hosts cruising to a 3-0 lead.
Jonathan Burkardt stole the show with two goals and an assist, the Mainz junior constantly terrorising Augsburg’s defence alongside Karim Onisiwo who bagged a goal and two assists.
The win takes the 05ers back into the top half of the table, with Augsburg likely to be battling relegation for the remainder of the season.
First half onslaught
The writing was on the wall early on with Jonathan Burkardt forcing a smart save from Rafal Gikiewicz.
It took just 10 minutes for Mainz to take the lead, Robert Gumny failing to clear Silvan Widmer’s cross with Karim Onisiwo keeping his cool, stepping inside and finishing into an open net.
Five minutes later Mainz extended their lead. Jean-Paul Boëtius made an interception, Burkhardt finding Stefan Bell who finished past Gikiewicz from a tight angle.
Onisiwo produced a heavy touch after getting past Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, but he would soon turn provider as Mainz made it 3-0. He was released by Widmer, measuring his cross perfectly towards the back post where Burkhardt rose above Gumny and headed the ball into the top corner.
Onisiwo should have made it 4-0 in the 35th minute as he headed Bells’s cross straight at Gikiewicz. The chances kept coming as Onisiwo sent Burkhardt through on goal which forced another save from Gikiewicz.
Mainz cruise to the finish line
Marcus Weinzierl made two changes at the break with Tobias Strobl and Andi Zeqiri replacing Robert Gumny and Sergio Cordova. Augsburg showed more intent but the chances kept coming for the hosts as Onisiwo broke clear and fired wide.
The visitors finally made a breakthrough in the 69th minute. André Hahn’s inviting cross was met by Andi Zeqiri, the Swiss striker getting in front of Stefan Bell and finishing past Robin Zentner.
Any hopes of an unlikely comeback were extinguished two minutes later. Onisiwo surged into the box, losing possession with a heavy touch but Burkhardt was on hand to produce a sweet strike past Gikiewicz.
Onisiwo had another shot saved before missing a great chance to secure his second goal. He latched onto Bell’s pass, beating Tobias Strobl and rounding Gikiewicz before firing over the bar from a tight angle.
Brilliant Burkardt
Jonathan Burkardt celebrated his 50th Bundesliga appearance with a man of the match performance. The Mainz junior was a handful up front and surely impressed Germany head coach Hansi Flick who was in attendance.
Awful Augsburg
Augsburg came into the match with just four goals scored in eight matches. Their problems in attack were more than evident throughout, but perhaps more alarming was their defence, especially in the first half with Robert Gumny well off the pace.
Markus Weinzierl’s side are in for a long season unless they can turn things around in a hurry. It’s hard to see how the Bavarian club can accumulate enough points to avoid a relegation battle.
