Mainz 05 secured a dramatic 4-3 away victory at Borussia Mönchengladbach, claiming their third win of the season and climbing to fifth place in the Bundesliga. The 05ers showed a strong reaction to their defeat against Frankfurt, overpowering the relegation-threatened Foals in a thrilling second-half display at Borussia-Park in front of 50,000 fans.

How the match unfolded

Gladbach took an early lead through Florian Neuhaus in the 11th minute, but Mainz responded quickly. Phillip Tietz equalised just seven minutes later before Sheraldo Becker put the visitors ahead in first-half stoppage time. After the break, Isac Lidberg levelled for Borussia in the 59th minute, but Mainz kept pushing. Eric Martel restored the lead in the 78th minute, and Danny da Costa seemed to seal the deal in the 89th. A penalty from Shuto Machino in the fifth minute of added time brought Gladbach back to 3-4, but it was too little, too late. "It was a rollercoaster of emotions," said coach Urs Fischer. "In the end, the team defended the three points brilliantly, we worked hard for it."

The decisive moments

Three of Mainz's four goals came from set pieces, two of them from corners. Gladbach captain Kevin Diks missed a penalty that struck the right post. For the 05ers, it was their third win in the last five competitive matches, with recent form reading WLWDW. Phillip Tietz, on target again for his fourth goal of the season, remains the team's top scorer. Jan-Moritz Lichte's side suffered their fifth defeat of the campaign, dropping to the bottom of the table.

Looking ahead to Leverkusen

With seven points from four games, Mainz now sit sixth in the standings, firmly in the mix for the European places. They trail leaders Borussia Dortmund by five points. The next challenge comes on October 10 with a home fixture against Bayer Leverkusen, currently fifth. Dominik Kohr remains the only player currently sidelined. The full schedule of upcoming matches is available on our fixtures page, with team statistics under stats.

The report in full is at Tagesschau

Eric Martel made his competitive debut for Mainz 05 in the 4:3 win in Gladbach. The midfielder, who had been sidelined with a medial collateral ligament injury, was brought on as a substitute by coach Urs Fischer in the second half. In the 78th minute, Martel scored the 3:2 lead with a header. The club confirmed Martel's return to the squad after his injury layoff. The team has now scored 10 goals this season and sits in sixth place with 7 points.