1. FC Köln all but relegated following Mainz draw

First Half

Mainz dominated the first half and had plenty of the shots but not a lot of the possession. They used the flanks in Phillip Mwene and Anthony Caci well and looked dangerous on the break.

It was the home team that also striked first, as Leandro Barreiro netted the opener in the 29th minute.

For the rest of the half, they pressed and put a lot of pressure on the Köln defence but were unable to double their lead.

Second Half

During the second fourty-five, it was a different story as Köln were able to carry on dominating with the ball and create a lot of chances within the first five minutes after the break.

This culminated in a penalty being awarded for the away side as Faride Alidou was taken down inside the box by Anthony Caci. After deliberation, the penalty was awarded and Luca Waldschmidt stepped up to take it.

However, just like the player's performances this season, the penalty was subpar and telling of someone who is going to leave the club in the summer.

After this, 1. FC Köln continued to create chances and brought on attackers in the form of Linton Maina, Mark Uth and Damion Downs.

In spite of this, between the last ditch challenges and saves from Robin Zenter, Mainz withstood the Köln attack until injury time.

During extra time, Robin Zentner clumsily made contact with Sargis Adamyan and in doing so conceded a penalty. This time, the substituted captain Florian Kainz made no mistake in slotting it in for the equalizer.

During the death, Mainz player Phillip Mwene received a red card for a harsh foul on the consistently sidelined Mark Uth.

With minutes left, Köln had another penalty shout turned away as the ball hit a Mainz players hand. However, this time Benjamin Brand did not award it.

This signalled the end of a chaotic game for both, and almost certainly confirmed Köln's relegation.

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