Leverkusen wins dramatically in Mainz and leaves the relegation zone!

Leverkusen wins dramatically in Mainz and leaves the relegation zone!

In the exciting Bundesliga game on October 18, 2025, Bayer Leverkusen defeated FSV Mainz 05 4-3 in a thrilling duel that offered every emotion. After a chaotic first half, Leverkusen was 3-1 ahead, but Mainz didn't give up and got back into the game.

Coach Kaspar Hjulmand was visibly relieved about the victory, which was also Leverkusen's fifth in a row. The coach sees his team on the right track as they are currently in fifth place with a total of 14 points. A win that narrows the gap to the top four in the league is exactly what they needed. Mainz, on the other hand, are in the relegation zone with four defeats from four home games and have not won a home game or scored a goal so far this season, which makes the situation even more unfortunate for coach Bo Henriksen.

An outstanding Grimaldo and contested goals

The scorers for Leverkusen were Alejandro Grimaldo, who scored two goals (11th, 45th + 2), Christian Kofane (24th) and Martin Terrier (87th). Grimaldo appeared as a big hero in the first half and quickly made it 0-1.
He converted a penalty after a foul by Jonas Hofmann. Kofane extended the lead after a mistake in the Mainz defense.
Mainz was at least able to shorten the gap through Jae-sung Lee (34'), but Grimaldo restored the old distance again in stoppage time in the first half.

Mainz made an effort in the second half, but they were rather harmless in attack. After Nadiem Amiri was able to reduce the score to 2:3 with a penalty kick in the 71st minute, the game seemed to get exciting again. But Terrier restored the old distance and made it 4:2. Armindo Sieb was able to cosmeticize the result in the 90th minute and reduce the score to 3:4, but it wasn't enough for Mainz.

The look ahead

The Mainz team now has to flip the switch, because the Europa Conference League against Zrinjski Mostar is on Thursday. Leverkusen, on the other hand, is preparing for the Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain. Both teams expect prominent opponents in the next round of the Bundesliga: Leverkusen hosts SC Freiburg, while Mainz has to face VfB Stuttgart.

The coming weeks will be crucial for both teams. While Leverkusen remains on the winning track, Mainz now urgently needs to collect points to avoid slipping even deeper into the relegation zone. The season is still long, but the pressure on Mainz is growing with every further defeat.