By Our European Football Correspondent
MAINZ 05 took a massive stride toward their first-ever European semi-final last night, dismantling a shell-shocked Strasbourg 2-0 at a rocking Mewa Arena.
On a night where the stars aligned for the Bundesliga outfit, it was Kaishu Sano and Stefan Posch who grabbed the headlines, leaving the French side with a mountain to climb in next week’s return leg.
Mainz didn’t just start the game; they ignited it. Within 11 minutes, the stadium was in raptures thanks to a moment of pure individual brilliance from Kaishu Sano.
The midfielder, who has rarely found the net this season, picked the pocket of a Strasbourg defender near the halfway line before embarking on a surging run. He rode two challenges like a seasoned pro before unleashing a curling, 22-yard beauty that clipped the post on its way into the top corner.
If Strasbourg thought they could catch their breath, they were dead wrong. Just eight minutes later, it was 2-0.
After seeing a long-range rocket tipped wide by Strasbourg keeper Mike Penders, Stefan Posch refused to be denied from the resulting corner. Paul Nebel swung in a pinpoint delivery, and the Austrian defender met it with a thunderous volley that nearly tore the net off.
”We played with heart, but we played with our heads too,” said a beaming Mainz boss Urs Fischer. “The two goals were world-class, but the clean sheet is just as important.”
The visitors, who came into the tie on a 10-match unbeaten run, looked like a deer in the headlights. While Chelsea loanee Andrey Santos tried to pull the strings in midfield, the French side struggled to test Daniel Batz in the Mainz goal.
Their best chance fell to Julio Enciso in the second half, but the Brighton man lacked his usual clinical edge, firing straight at the keeper from ten yards out. Valentin Barco also came close, rattling the woodwork with a fierce strike, but it was Mainz’s night to shine.
Mainz now travel to the Stade de la Meinau next Thursday knowing they are just 90 minutes away from a historic spot in the final four. On this evidence, you wouldn’t bet against them.
Mainz: Batz, Widmer, Posch, Hanche-Olsen, Mwene, Sano, Amiri, Nebel, Lee, Onisiwo, Weiper.
Strasbourg: Penders, Doue, Sylla, Sarr, Barco, Santos, Doukoure, Bakwa, Diarra, Moreira, Emegha.
Goals: Sano (11’), Posch (19’)
Venue: Mewa Arena (Att: 33,000)
