Mainz and Borussia Mönchengladbach played out an exciting 1-1 draw at the MEWA Arena. Stefan Lainer's own goal was cancelled out by Tim Kleindienst's header. Both teams had chances to win in a tense finale, with Mainz dominating shots but unable to find a winner.

Mainz 1-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach

Goals: 1-0 Lainer (o.g. 55'), 1-1 Kleindienst 57' (assist: Honorat)

The Bundesliga match between Mainz 05 and Mönchengladbach on Friday night at the MEWA Arena was set to be an interesting one. Both teams had the same recent record going into the match, with two wins and two losses in their last four games. Mainz, still looking for their first home win of the season, were keen to improve their record, while Gladbach were aiming to secure back-to-back victories for the first time in over two years.

Mainz head coach Bo Henriksen looks on before the match, hoping to lead his team to their first home win of the season. Mainz started the match with a clear intention to create chances, and they did just that. Nadiem Amiri was particularly active, forcing Gladbach goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas into saves in the ninth and tenth minutes, before narrowly missing the target in the 11th. However, the hosts were dealt a major blow when captain Jonathan Burkardt was forced off with an injury in the 20th minute, replaced by Armindo Sieb.

Despite the setback, Mainz dominated the first half, with 52% possession. They kept up the pressure, with Phillipp Mwene and Jae-sung Lee both coming close to scoring. There was a yellow card for Gladbach's Joseph Scally in the 40th minute, which reflected the growing tension. The home team ended the half with 11 shots to Gladbach's one, but the teams went into half-time level at 0-0.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 55th minute when Gladbach's Stefan Lainer accidentally turned the ball into his own net, giving Mainz a 1-0 lead. However, the home fans had to contend with a disappointing turn of events. Just two minutes later, Kleindienst equalised for Gladbach with a powerful header from Franck Honorat's cross, bringing the scores level at 1-1.

The rest of the second half saw both teams trying to score the winning goal. Gladbach made a change, bringing on Kevin Stöger for Alassane Pléa, which gave their attack a bit of a boost. In the final moments of the match, Mainz goalkeeper Robin Zentner made some crucial saves, denying Kleindienst's header and Stöger's free kick in the 90th minute. On the other side, Maxim Leitsch had a chance for Mainz but didn't quite hit the mark. Despite 21 shots from Mainz and nine from Gladbach, the match ended in a 1-1 draw.