Jean-Philippe Mateta hat-trick fires clinical Mainz past Freiburg
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a hat-trick as Mainz ended a four-game losing run to halt their slide down the table with a clinical display at home to Freiburg on Friday evening, recording a 5-0 victory in the Matchday 28 opener.
Goals: 1-0 Boetius (20'), 2-0 Mateta (25'), 3-0 Mateta (33'), 4-0 Onisiwo (73'), 5-0 Mateta (77')
It initially looked like it was going to be another disappointing outing for the hosts as Freiburg seized the initiative early on, twice going close through long-range efforts from Pascal Stenzel. However, the tide turned in Mainz's favour when a miscued clearance from visiting goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow landed at the feet of Jean-Paul Boetius, who curled a first-time effort into the unguarded net from 30 yards out. With Freiburg stunned, Mainz took full advantage and Boetius soon teed up Mateta for the side's second, before the French forward lashed in a third from close range to give the home team comfortable 3-0 lead at the interval.
The second half followed a similar pattern to the first. Freiburg emerged from the changing room with renewed vigour and almost clawed their way back into the game, only for Florian Müller to deny a close-range header from Stenzel before tipping Luca Waldschmidt's low shot around the post. Having weathered that storm, Mainz went on to put the outcome beyond all doubt when Karim Onisiwo turned his marker inside the box and rifled home. Mateta crowned a clinical display with a superb diving header in the closing stages, completing his hat-trick and lifting Mainz above their visitors in the table.
Match stats
- Mainz scored with their first three shots on goal.
- Mateta hit his first hat-trick in the Bundesliga, taking him to 10 league goals this season. It was the first by a Mainz player since Danny Latza hit three in December 2016 at home to Hamburg.
- Boetius scored for the first time in 17 games, having last found the target in the 2-1 defeat at home to Bayern Munich on 27 October 2018.
- Onisiwo netted his fifth goal of the season here; he grabbed his first of the campaign in the reverse fixture.
- Freiburg had 17 efforts on goal, which was the most they'd managed in any match this season.
- Mainz are yet to lose on home soil against Freiburg in the Bundesliga (W7 D3).
Line-ups
Mainz: Müller – Donati, Bungert (c) (Hack 68'), Niakhate, Martin – Gbamin, Kunde (Onisiwo 55'), Latza – Boetius – Quaison (Maxim 79'), Mateta
Unused subs: Zentner, Brosinski, Baku, Ujah
Out: Abbas (thigh), Adler (knee), Holtmann (thigh), Mwene (knee), Burkardt (flu)
Coach: Sandro Schwarz
Freiburg: Schwolow – Schlotterbeck, Frantz (c) (Niederlechner 46'), Heintz – Stenzel (Koch 83'), Abrashi, Höfler, Günter – Grifo, Höler (Waldschmidt 46'), Haberer
Unused subs: Frommann, Okoroji, Gondorf, Terrazzino
Out: Gulde (back), Flekken (groin), Kleindienst (knee), Kübler (ankle), Petersen (hamstring), Sallai (groin), Kath (groin), Lienhart (concussion)
Coach: Christian Streich
Watch: Mateta reflects on his maiden professional hat-trick
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