Conference League Player Ratings | Mainz 2-0 Racing Strasbourg – A third Bundesliga club takes a massive stride towards a European semi-final | OneFootball

Bundesliga Conference League representatives FSV Mainz 05 have picked up right where they left off in terms of their spectacular European run. Urs Fischer’s Rheinhessen have one foot in the 2025/25 UECL semi-finals after defeating visiting Racing Strasbourg at home at the MEWA Arena on Thursday night. Mainz were utterly dominant throughout and could have easily won by a much higher scoreline.

Kaishu Sano scores a dream goal

The German hosts immediately capitalized on a mistake in build up play from their nervy guests and produced the first scoring chance before two minutes had elapsed. German striker Nelson Weiper (in for the on UECL-registered Sheraldo Becker) hit the side netting in the 2nd-minute. Buoyed by the early opportunity, Fischer’s men pummeled the Alsatian net uninterrupted over the course of the opening ten minutes. The well-deserved opener came in the 11th-minute; a co-production between two of Mainz’s Japanese talents. 

Mainz “midfield iron man” Kaishu Sano turned an impressive midfield ball win into a splendid one-two with his compatriot Kota Kawasaki. Sano then capped off a scintillating solo run forward with a beautifully curled effort from the left-hand-side of the box. The 1-0 did take a slight deflection before kissing the post on its far to the far corner, but Sano’s effort remained worthy just his second goal scored in Mainz colors. The Germans refused to rest on their laurels, pushing hard to double the advantage. 

Stefan Posch scores another stunner

One of Mainz’s key January acquisitions wanted more. Posch found himself denied only by the fingertips of the keeper on a scorching effort from 20 meters out in the 18th-minute. The Austrian defender nevertheless ended up still scoring on the subsequent corner, volleying home the 2-0 in acrobatic fashion to put the hosts two goals to the good in the 19th-minute. The rattled guests were able to create a little danger off dead balls, but for the most part it was Mainz who dominated the rest of the first half. 

Resurgent German-Irish attacker Paul Nebel and weekend hero Phillip Tietz both worked hard up front, narrowly missing out on opportunities to score the 3-0. Wave after wave of attack came as the carnival club, soured on by their vociferous fans, played themselves into an absolute frenzy. Two magnificent goals simply weren’t good enough as the Germans refused to take their foot off the gas pedal. Tietz (49th-minute and 53rd-minute) kept up the assault with two excellent bids at the 3-0 after the restart.

Matters finally calm down

The inevitable finally occurred as the hour-mark approached. The breakneck pace of the game finally slowed down when Fischer ordered his team to shift back into a tighter 5-3-2 formation. Strasbourg were permitted to circulate the ball more freely, yet made very little out of their possession advantage. Mainz defended as resolutely as they attacked in the game’s final half hour. Posch and notoriously intense FSV defender Dominik Kohr executed some crucial tackles at the back.

A final push

Whilst still keeping matters compact in the 5-3-2, Fischer’s team did pick it up in the final 12 minutes in the hopes of scoring another goal. Substitute Armindo Sieb (78th-minute, 88th-minute, and 90th minute) came agonizingly close to padding the aggregate scoreline. At the end of the evening, however, Mainz were unable to achieve the same scoreline as their Bundesliga colleagues SC Freiburg. Interestingly enough, Freiburg and Mainz are scheduled to face each other in the league on Sunday.

Mainz Player Ratings

Daniel Batz (5) – Dominik Kohr (8), Stefan Posch (8), Danny da Costa (6)  – Phillipp Mwene (6), Kaishu Sano (9), Silvan Widmer (6), – Paul Nebel (7) Sota Kawasaki (6) – Phillip Tietz (8), Nelson Weiper (8)

Substitutes: Nikolas Veratschnig (5), Armindo Sieb (7), William Bøving (), Kacper Potulski (),

GGFN Bundesliga Player of the Match: Kaishu Sano (9)

The 12-times-capped Japanese international certainly doesn’t qualify as an under-appreciated Bundesliga player. In point of fact – despite interest from plenty of Bundesliga clubs – most expect Sano to make a big money move abroad this summer. Sano still may fly under the radar to some due to the fact that (as noted above) he’s only scored two goals for his current German club. Sano generally operates as a traditional defensive midfielder. 

On this particular evening, Sano ventured forward to record two shots and three assisted shots. The fact that South Korean attacker Jae-Sung Lee had to sit out the match with a toe injury meant that Mainz’s midfield linchpin needed to step up and compensate. The 25-year-old succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. 

The marks accorded above ideally convey the fact that all Mainz professionals (exceeding mostly idle keeper Daniel Batz) turned in well above average performances on this night. None of the outfielders so much as played a poor stray pass. Urs Fischer’s Nullfünfter may be the most in-form Bundesliga team during this snapshot in time. 

GGFN | Peter Weis