Nadiem Amiri’s last-gasp penalty rescued Mainz as they fought back to earn a 1-1 draw against Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena, cancelling out Aaron Zehnter’s early opener.
Wolfsburg came into the match aiming to build on their strong opening-day win at Heidenheim, while Mainz were buoyed by their UEFA Conference League qualification on Thursday, having overturned a first-leg deficit against Rosenborg.
The hosts had struggled at home, entering the game winless in eight consecutive Bundesliga matches at the Volkswagen Arena, just one shy of equalling a club record. Mainz, conversely, had been formidable on the road last season, recording eight away victories, their best total since 2010/11.
Despite Mainz exerting early pressure, it was Wolfsburg who struck first in the ninth minute.
Zehnter exploited space on the left side of the penalty area, and his shot, aided by a deflection off Anthony Caci, wrong-footed Robin Zentner and found the back of the net.
This marked Zehnter’s first goal since joining from Paderborn in the summer.
Mainz responded with chances from Kaishu Sano and Jae-sung Lee, but neither could convert.
Wolfsburg almost doubled their lead in the 27th minute through Dženan Pejčinović, whose well-crafted effort narrowly missed the target.
The second half saw Mainz assert themselves. Amiri and Dominik Kohr both had efforts blocked as they pushed for an equaliser.
Pressure continued to mount, and in the 79th minute, Mainz came agonisingly close when Kohr’s header from an Amiri corner struck the inside of the post.
The breakthrough finally arrived in stoppage time. After a VAR review confirmed a handball by Konstantinos Koulierakis in the box, Amiri calmly stepped up to fire the penalty into the top corner, giving Mainz a dramatic point.
The action didn’t end there: Armindo Sieb’s shot rattled the crossbar, and a second yellow card for Mattias Svanberg reduced Wolfsburg to ten men in the closing moments.
Amiri was the driving force behind Mainz’s comeback, displaying composure under pressure and influencing the game from start to finish.
He took three shots (joint-highest in the match), created several key chances, and orchestrated the corner that led to Kohr hitting the post.
Against relentless pressure, being challenged 22 times, the most of any player, Amiri’s performance was a captain’s masterclass, earning him the top fantasy points total of 357 for the match.
