It was foreseeable that Mainz 05 would not be the dominant team in the Allianz Arena, but it was hardly likely that they would make history there
Urs Fischer opted for an uncompromising defensive approach during his visit to Munich. Standing deep, closing spaces, lurking for mistakes – a style of play that was derided by many Bayern fans as „haram ball“. Aesthetically, the encounter was indeed one-sided, statistically even extreme
FC Bayern had 85 per cent possession – a season high. By comparison, Vincent Kompany’s team averaged around 62 per cent in the Bundesliga. The balance of power was also brutal in terms of passing. 885 passes were played by Munich compared to just 104 by Mainz – figures more reminiscent of a training match than a duel between two Bundesliga teams
The record champions also dictated the action at will in the final third. 24 shots on goal, nine great chances – everything pointed to a commanding home win. Mainz, on the other hand, only managed five shots. But this is the crux of this curious story
Maximum efficiency beats maximum control
Two of Mainz’s five shots were real big chances – and both ended up in the net. An efficiency that is rare in Munich and was ultimately the reason why the team at the bottom of the table was able to take a point from the Allianz Arena. What was particularly crazy was that Mainz were even leading 2:1 until shortly before the end
Only a late penalty from Harry Kane in the 87th minute saved FC Bayern from their first Bundesliga defeat of the current season. For Munich, however, the draw felt like a lost game, while for Mainz it felt like a small victory
The real dimension of this 2-2 draw is revealed by a look at the Bundesliga history books. Mainz are the first team at the bottom of the table in almost 20 years to score away from the leaders. The last time FC Köln achieved this was in April 2006 – also with a 2-2 draw at FC Bayern
A statistical outlier match that seems almost inexplicable. Extreme dominance on the one hand, maximum efficiency on the other. For FC Bayern, a warning signal that control alone is not always enough. For Mainz 05, a historic evening – and a point that feels like a small miracle despite all the numbers.