Mainz holds injury-hit Gladbach 1-1 in Bundesliga

MAINZ, Germany (AP) — Mainz fought back to earn a 1-1 draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga on Friday, denying the visitors what would have been a third consecutive win.

Silvan Widmer scored the equalizer for Mainz in the 76th minute, curling in a shot off the far post despite being faced by several defenders. It was the Swiss defender’s first Bundesliga goal.

The home team had been pushing hard before that, with Gladbach relying on goalkeeper Yann Sommer to maintain its lead off a goal scored by Florian Neuhaus against the run of play in the 38th.

“In the end we have to be absolutely satisfied with the point,” Gladbach coach Adi Hütter said. “Mainz plays soccer with passion and power, they showed that today.”

It was shaping up to be a frustrating evening for Gladbach with both Swiss defender Nico Elvedi and compatriot Breel Embolo going off injured around the half–hour mark.

Mainz had been better, but Neuhaus, who came in for Elvedi in the 28th, scored on a rebound after goalkeeper Robin Zentner blocked Ramy Bensebaini’s initial shot from distance.

Gladbach, which routed Bayern Munich 5-0 in the German Cup recently, is stuck in midtable in the Bundesliga, while Mainz remained fifth ahead of the rest of the 11th round.

On Saturday, league leader Bayern Munich welcomes third-place Freiburg, which has the tightest defense so far, and Leipzig hosts Borussia Dortmund.

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