Conference League Player ratings | Mainz 2-0 Sigma Olomouc (2-0 agg) – Bundesliga representatives make history with club’s first ever European quarterfinal berth | OneFootball

Bundesliga conference League representatives FSV Mainz 05 have made club and German footballing history on Thursday night. Urs Fischer’s Rheinhessen defeated visiting SK Sigma Olomouc 2-0 on aggregate in the UEFA Europa Conference League Round-of-16 knockout round. The home victory enabled Mainz to advance to the quarterfinal stage of a European competition for the first time in the history of the club. 

Prior to the match, Mainz had already made history as the most successful Bundesliga club in the five-year history of the UECL. No Bundesliga club had ever gotten as far as the Round-of-16 phase. Eintracht Frankfurt (2023/24) and 1. FC Heidenheim (2024/25) contested the playoff round prior to the phase, but both lost. In a concurrent match, SC Freiburg also gave the Bundesrepublik a boost by advancing to the Europa League quarters. 

Mainz squander first half chances

The horror injury suffered by Mainz attacker Silas led to underutilized German striker Nelson Weiper earning a rare start. Weiper and Phillip Tietz were able to produce some early chances on goal, but neither FSV attacker was able to truly threaten. Tietz waited a tad too long to shoot in the 6th-minute. Four minutes after that, Weiper could only manage a soft header directly at keeper Jan Kourtney. In the 18th-minute, highly scrutinized attacker Paul Nebel skied an excellent chance over following some nice combination work from his teammates. 

At the other end, the Czech guests fired a warning shot in the 20th-minute. Olomouc striker Danijel Sturm narrowly put a dangerous effort wide of the mark after a top-notch counterattack. As the opening 45 rolled on, there were phases during which Fischer’s team struggled to keep control of the game. The best chances still belonged to the German hosts. Phillipp Mwene put a powerful effort just wide in the 36th-minute. Weiper had another chance via a header at 45+1, but could only send a Jae-Sung Lee cross wide of the mark. 

Stefan Posch finally finishes a cross

Weiper’s poor heading was quickly forgotten just after the restart. Massively important January signing Stefan Poschlocked onto a lovely service from Nebel on the right in the 46th-minute. A beautiful glancing header from the Austrian international put Mainz up 1-0. Pumped full of confidence thanks to the crucial goal, the Nullfünfter went on the hunt for a second. Tietz (56th-minute) and Nebel (79th minute) came close to netting a second. Nebel’s powerful effort as the game wore down smash off the crossbar. 

Armindo Sieb settles the issue

The Czechs mustered up very little in terms of fightback. There wasn’t much doubt that Mainz would be advancing. The fact that Olomouc’s Peter Barath was sent off on double yellows in the 76th-minute rendered hopes of a comeback virtually non-existent. Bayern Munich loanee Armindo Sieb (on as a substitute for the ineffective Weiper in the 74th-minute) placed a lid on proceedings in the 83rd minute with the 2-0. Mainz’s Danny da Costa made it easy for the FCB man with some fine set-up work.

Mainz Player Ratings

Daniel Batz (5) – Dominik Kohr (5), Stefan Posch (7), Danny da Costa (7)  – Phillipp Mwene (6), Jae-Sung Lee (6), Kaishu Sano (7), Paul Nebel (7), Silvan Widmer (7), – Phillip Tietz (7), Nelson Weiper (4)

Substitutes:  Nikolas Veratschnig (6), Armindo Sieb (7), Kacper Potulski (-), Sota Kawasaki (-), Lennard Maloney (-)

GGFN Bundesliga Player of the Match: Phillip Tietz (7)

The MOTM selection proves difficult as, including substitute Sieb, we’ve SIX players accorded Level (7) marks. The work rate of Fischer’s men on this particular eve was simply that impressive. Even though the Bundesliga representatives didn’t end up scoring during the opening 45, their performance can fairly be described as utterly dominant. Somehow, one sensed that the Pfälzer would find a way of punching through during the second half.

Tietz gets the nod here in part because he’s often something of an unappreciated player. The former Darmstadt and Augsburg man isn’t the most profiling goalscorer. In point of fact, he’s only registered one tally in 13 appearances for the new club he joined this January. Oftentimes, however, a center forward can contribute in other ways. Tietz has collected three Bundesliga assists. He also works very hard on the ball. 

On this particular eve, Tietz picked up 43 touches, played 31 passes, and carried the ball out of the back on two successful long dribbles. On virtually all promising FSV attack charges, Tietz was involved in helping the team break through in the final third. The number of direct duels he contested (26) is also exceptionally high for a striker. The Braunschweig native simply left it all on the pitch tonight. 

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