Can Uzun scored twice and Jonathan Burkardt added another, while goalkeeper Noah Atubolu extended his consecutive penalty-saving streak under the watchful eye of Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp.
Uzun Strikes Early as Frankfurt Seizes Control
Frankfurt opened the scoring early when Kacper Potulski inadvertently released Jonathan Burkardt, who raced clear and squared unselfishly for Can Uzun to stroke home the opening goal with nine minutes on the clock. Mainzboss Urs Fischer made just one change to the side that started last weekend’s 5-0 victory at Hamburg, with goalkeeper Robin Zentner preferred to Alexander Schwolow between the sticks. Adi Hütter, meanwhile, handed a full Bundesliga debut to Noëll Aséko-Nkili, who was joined in the Eagles’ team by Jeremiaha Maluze, while Mario Götze and Younes Ebnoutalib had to settle for a place among the substitutes. South Korean midfielder Lee Jae-sung started for Mainz but played only the first half as an attacking midfielder, did not register a single shot, made one cross, and was replaced at half-time by Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer.
Mainz attempted to respond with significant attacking volume, registering 18 total shots and controlling 55 percent of possession over the course of the afternoon, while expected goals were almost level at 2.09 for Mainz and 2.10 for Frankfurt. Expected goals on target told a better story for the visitors at 3.06 to 1.54, as Frankfurt scored all three of their big chances while Mainz created three big chances and converted none. Before the match against Eintracht, Mainz drew 0:0 with Paderborn and defeated Hamburg 5:0 at the start of the Bundesliga season, and also thrashed VfB Krieschow 9:0 in the first round of the German Cup on August 24, with Lee Jae-sung having provided one assist each in the cup match and the game against Hamburg. In another match mentioned across league coverage, Augsburg drew 2:2 with Bayer Leverkusen, where South Korean defender Seol Young-woo came on as a substitute in the 77th minute to replace right wing-back Marius Wolf, bringing Augsburg’s record after three league matches to two wins, one draw, and seven points.
Atubolu Denies Amiri From the Spot
The defining tactical turning point arrived late in the first half. Raphael Onyedika brought down Sheraldo Becker inside the area, handing Mainz a golden opportunity to get back on level terms just before the break. Mainz captain Nadiem Amiri stepped up from the spot in the 43rd minute, only to be denied by Frankfurt goalkeeper Noah Atubolu. Atubolu played a huge part in the three points with another save in his specialist discipline after his last-minute move from Freiburg to Eintracht Frankfurt on Deadline Day following a long saga where he had actually wanted to move to the Premier League in the summer. With Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp watching on, the Hessians won the derby 3-1 away, and Amiri met the same fate as the previous five takers who had faced the 24-year-old wizard in goal, failing to convert.
Atubolu saved his sixth penalty in a row in the Bundesliga, extending his own Bundesliga record after previously denying Romano Schmid, Andre Silva, a certain Florian Wirtz, Kevin Volland, and Josip Juranovic. That achievement served as a clear recommendation to Klopp to hand him his first DFB call-up for the upcoming international break on 17 September. Things went from bad to worse for the home side moments later as Burkardt pounced on another loose ball deep inside the Mainz half before lashing an unstoppable shot to make it 2-1 for SGE in first-half stoppage time, right on the stroke of half-time.
Uzun Secures the Points in the Second Half
Mainz emerged from the interval pushing for a way back into the fixture, but Frankfurt’s clinical edge remained decisive as Adi Hütter’s side kept the momentum after the break. Mario Götze came on at 59 minutes and needed only one minute to feed Can Uzun in the 60th minute, who completed his brace to make it 0-3 for the visitors. Mainz kept pushing and finally got their reward in the 89th minute when Otto Ruoppi crossed and Phillip Tietz finished for 1-3. The defeat marked Mainz’s first defeat of the season, suffering a 1-3 loss at home to Eintracht Frankfurt after previously beating Hamburg 5:0 at Volksparkstadion where Phillip Tietz grabbed two of the goals with the team holding 46% possession and totalling eight shots on target. Eintracht Frankfurt entered the match having lost their previous game, being beaten at home by Augsburg 4-1 at Deutsche Bank Park despite having eight shots on goal and 60% possession with Jonathan Burkardt finding the net, before bouncing back under Hütter to claim their first league win of Adi Hütter’s second spell in charge.
