Highlights
T. Gerach
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0:15
Watch: Xabi Alonso on hard-earned win
0:11
Watch: Granit Xhaka explains celebration
90'
+ 5
Full time: Leverkusen 2-1 Mainz
They were made to work hard by a dogged, well-organised Mainz side, but Leverkusen prevail to move 11 points clear of Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga table. Long-range efforts from Xhaka and Andrich did the job, adding that little bit of extra pressure on Bayern ahead of their clash with RB Leipzig on Saturday.
Full-time
90'
Substitution
90'
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes
Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.
87'
Pass master
Pass master
Pass Efficiency
83'
Substitution
83'
Substitution
83'
Substitution
82'
Keep ball
Leverkusen are happy to stroke the ball around among themselves, trying to draw Mainz out. The visitors aren't biting yet though and are sitting deep, perhaps with the hope of snatching a late draw with a swift counter-attack.
80'
Mainz down to 10
Ngankam is given a straight red card for a late tackle on Xhaka. He was initially given a yellow but the decision was changed after a VAR review.
79'
SituationNo red card
ReviewFoul?
DecisionRed card
78'
Lovely from Xhaka
The Leverkusen midfielder dinks a lovely ball over the defence for Grimaldo to chase. He can't make a clean connection on the ball but still gets a corner for his efforts.
Long-range expert
© Imago Images
68'
Leverkusen lead again!
It had been coming and finally Leverkusen have their goal. It's not one Zentner will want to see again though - the goalkeeper having made so many impressive saves so far in this game. Wirtz lays the ball off for Andrich, 30 yards out. He wastes no time in unleashing a powerful, swerving drive that Zentner neither catches nor punches clear, instead palming it into his own net.
Goal probability
Goal probability
Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.
Shot speed
Shot speed
Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.
Distance to Goal
Distance to Goal
The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.
65'
Substitution
Speed demon
© Imago Images
62'
Just wide from Adli
The attacker meets a corner at the near post and glances a header across goal. Zentner is beaten but the ball flashes just wide.
60'
Substitution
57'
Tactical change
Hofmann doesn't look too happy at being taken off - he's had more shots (four) than anyone else, after all. Schick comes on in what is presumably a tactical switch from Xabi Alonso.
56'
Glorious chance for Mainz
Tapsoba with a huge blunder as he plays the ball across his own penalty area without properly checking. Lee arrives at pace to intercept and shoots first time but his effort goes well over - he could have taken a touch to control it there.
56'
Substitution
55'
Expected goals
xGoals
The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).
xGoals
1
1.07
0.67
1
Goals
53'
Wirtz magic
Lovely footwork from Wirtz on the left as he jinks his way into a shooting position. He gets a shot away but it's deflected over by a defender.
51'
Tah redeems himself
Amiri floats the free-kick over the defence to the back post and Barreiro volleys it back across the face of goal. Tah gets to it first though and deals with the threat.
50'
Dangerous location
Tah gets a booking for bringing down Onisiwo on the edge of the area, giving Mainz a free-kick in prime territory...
47'
First chance for Mainz!
A ball is floated into the box from the right and Mwene gets above his marker to get his head on the ball, but it floats wide of the target.
46'
Here we go again!
Mainz restart the action in the second half. No changes from either side at the break.
Kick-off!
45'
+ 3
Half-time: Leverkusen 1-1 Mainz
It's been a brilliantly entertaining game so far. Leverkusen took the lead inside three minutes through Xhaka's stunner but Mainz responded in ideal fashion, equalising moments later thanks to Kohr's diving header. The home side have been in the ascendancy since then and have had a number of good chances to take the lead once more, but Mainz goalkeeper Zentner has kept the visitors in the game.
Half-time
45'
+ 1
43'
Just over from Grimaldo
The left-back curls a 25-yard free-kick at goal that Zentner does well to tip over the bar for a corner.
43'
Leverkusen turning the screw
Goal attempts
6off target
5on target
2off target
4on target
40'
Zentner thwarts Hofmann!
The midfielder goes one-on-one with the Mainz goalkeeper after a sloppy back-pass. He could square to the unmarked Wirtz in the middle, but opts instead to shoot from a tight angle. Zentner makes a good save though.
37'
Grimaldo!
The Spaniard gets his first sight of goal today and arrows a powerful effort at the target, but it's blocked by a defender.
35'
Let off for Zentner
The visitors thank their lucky stars as Zentner wants a bit too much time on the ball on the edge of his own penalty area. He gets his pocket picked and the goal is wide open, but there are enough defenders back to cover and stop Frimpong shooting.
31'
Telling stats
30'
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes
Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.
29'
SituationNo red card
ReviewDenied goal-scoring opportunity?
DecisionNo card
27'
Frimpong tries a flick
The chances are coming with greater frequency for Leverkusen now as Wirtz slides a pass into Frimpong's run on the right. The Dutchman tries to back-heel it past Zentner but can't make any contact.
Kohr ends his drought
© Getty Images
23'
Another opening
Grimaldo floats a cross over the defence, looking for Frimpong. It's a brilliant delivery but the referee blows his whistle for offside.
20'
Xhaka thunderbolt
Wirtz lays the ball off to Xhaka, just outside the area. He goes for power over precision this time and absolutely smacks an effort at goal that Zentner can't hold. Frimpong goes for the rebound but fouls the goalkeeper in the process and Mainz breathe a sigh of relief.
16'
Chance for Hofmann!
Frimpong slides a clever ball into the path of Hofmann, darting behind the Mainz defence. His angled shot from the right is well saved by Zentner though.
15'
Bold visitors
Goal attempts
0off target
1on target
1off target
3on target
Milestone goal
© Getty Images
10'
Onisiwo has a go
The Mainz forward takes aim from distance but it's straight at Lukáš Hrádecký, who makes a routine save.
8'
Mainz equalise!
Well, well, well! A brilliant response from the visitors to level the score almost immediately! Amiri floats a free-kick over the defence towards the back post, where Widmer heads the ball back into the middle. Kohr gets the first and plants a firm header high into the net!
Goal probability
Goal probability
Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.
Distance to Goal
Distance to Goal
The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.
6'
No way back for Mainz?
No way back for Mainz?
0'
70.5 %
Now
81.6 %
4'
Xhaka stunner!
Wow! A perfect start from Leverkusen. Grimaldo's attempted cross into the middle from the left hits a defender and ricochets out to Xhaka, lurking on the left-hand corner of the penalty area. The Swiss midfielder strikes it first time and curls a looping effort over Zentner and into the net!
Goal probability
Goal probability
Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.
Shot speed
Shot speed
Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.
Distance to Goal
Distance to Goal
The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.
2'
Brief opening
There's a roar from the crowd as Frimpong shows his pace to collect a through-ball down the right. His attempted pass to Wirtz is cut out by a defender though.
1'
Peep peeeep!
Leverkusen get Matchday 23 under way!
Kick-off!
Team news - Leverkusen
The Bundesliga leaders have made three changes following their 2-1 victory in Heidenheim last weekend, with Xabi Alonso starting with Kossounou and Tapsoba in the back three alongside Tah, in place of Hincapie and Stanišić. Further forward, Hofmann begins in place of Schick.
0:07
Watch: A glimpse inside Mainz's dressing room
Team news - Mainz
Head coach Bo Henriksen makes just the one change to his side following last week's 1-0 win over Augsburg, with Silvan Wider coming into the team for Andreas Hanche-Olsen, who is sidelined with a thigh injury.
1:22
Watch: Leverkusen are in the building!
Leverkusen starting XI
Hrádecký (c) - Kossounou, Tah, Tapsoba - Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo - Hofmann, Wirtz - Adli
Leverkusen subs
Kovář, Stanišić, Hincapie, Mbamba, Puerta, Iglesias, Schick, Tella, Hložek
Mainz starting XI
Zentner (c) - Kohr, Van den Berg, Caci - Widmer, Barreiro, Amiri, Mwene - Gruda, Onisiwo, Lee
Mainz subs
Rieß, Dal, Müller, Richter, Krauß, Guilavogui, Papela, Ngankam
1:11
Watch: Alejandro Grimaldo - knuckleball specialist
Not too Xabi
Leverkusen's head coach has an astonishing record across his 48 Bundesliga games at the helm to date, winning an incredible 31 of them (65 percent), drawing 10 and losing just seven.
Head-to-head
Of the 17 Bundesliga encounters between these two in Leverkusen so far, the hosts have won eight (47 percent), with four draws and five defeats. Die Werkself have scored 23 times in that period to Mainz's 18, at an average of 2.41 goals per game.
2:17
Watch: The best of Granit Xhaka in 2023/24
Goal kings
© IMAGO/Weis/TEAM2sportphoto
Tough nuts to crack
© IMAGO/Uwe Kraft
Wirtz milestone
© IMAGO/H. Langer
Alonso's view on Mainz
© IMAGO/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Axel Kohring
Henriksen's view on Leverkusen
© FABRICE COFFRINI
3:28
Watch: Leverkusen in pole position
0:42
Watch: The top 5 skills of the 2023/24 season so far
Probable line-ups
© IMAGO/Hans-Jürgen Schmidt
Contrasting form
Alonso's Leverkusen are unbeaten in 32 games (28 wins). Only Bayern Munich under Hansi Flick had previously achieved such a streak and while Leverkusen are the only team in the division yet to lose at home this season, Mainz are the only side without an away win.
2:03
Watch: Mainz 0-3 Leverkusen - previous meeting
3:54
Watch: Heidenheim 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen - highlights
2:52
Watch: Mainz 1-0 Augsburg - highlights
Hello and welcome!
Thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 23 fixture between Leverkusen and Mainz.