Bayer Leverkusen edge Mainz in crazy seven-goal thriller to break into top four

[p]Six of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mainz/EuakNmc1/"]Mainz[/a]’s seven points this season have come on the road, and their home form looked set to worsen as they were 2-0 down after just nine minutes.[/p][p]First, a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bayer-leverkusen/4jcj2zMd/"]Leverkusen[/a] cross from the left was headed away by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/treu-philipp/zXOjivLH/"]Philipp Mwene[/a], [b]but only as far as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/andrich-robert/zDjAwp82/"]Robert Andrich[/a], who, from 20 yards out, caught it with the purest of volleys that flew past the goalkeeper and was still rising as it hit the net. [/b][/p][p]Then, the visitors were flying when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maza-ibrahim/zPa6aAD8/"]Ibrahim Maza[/a] cleverly let [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/garcia-aleix/QD7noPXB/"]Aleix Garcia[/a]’s through ball run on to [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schick-patrik/WzQQSSfc/"]Patrik Schick[/a], who turned his marker and slotted his fifth of the season into the bottom corner.[/b][/p][p]But Urs Fischer’s side then took control of the game and were back in it just past the half-hour mark, when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/martel-eric/pOwJWWP0/"]Eric Martel[/a] headed a corner goalwards, and though Andrich made a block on the line, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/caci-anthony/rsCh6sgU/"]Anthony Caci[/a] reacted quickest to bundle it home.[/b][/p][image alt="Match momentum" id="0bc2d1f6-465e-4b68-8577-a1562bbfc039" credit-line="Flashscore" hidden-attrs="alt, credit" guid="278ce909-08f0-4b9e-9cc1-80609cac4fa7" original-width="3840" original-height="2160" /][p]That gave Die Nullfunfer renewed belief, and they completed the comeback three minutes before half-time.[/p][p]After a series of blocked shots, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/amiri-nadiem/b3H5VR8I/"]Nadiem Amiri[/a] found Caci on the right side of the area, [b]and the Frenchman cut inside and curled his second of the game around [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/flekken-mark/INE64p13/"]Mark Flekken[/a],[/b] continuing his side’s run of scoring at least twice in every match this season.[/p][p]Mainz hadn’t scored in both halves in any of their previous six home matches. The Amiri-Caci partnership nearly ended that run within four minutes of the restart, but following a one-two, Amiri bent his strike just past the post.[/p][p]On the flipside, Bayer then took their streak of scoring in successive halves to 11 matches, [b]when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/quansah-jarell/KtIpCeFE/"]Jarell Quansah[/a] struck the ball straight at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schwolow-alexander/fPL4Y2AK/"]Alexander Schwolow[/a], only to loop the rebound over the goalkeeper with his head. [/b][/p][p]VAR checked the goal for a potential handball in the build-up by Schick, but it was allowed to stand.[/p][image alt="Key match stats" id="cee0287b-1ae2-48c7-bb85-3ce1405835ea" credit-line="Flashscore" hidden-attrs="alt, credit" guid="c4b8e3ea-b5f5-4aa0-b08b-cad7f13657f7" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]Just as in the first half, the away side made it a quickfire double, [b]as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/moreira-afonso/OQmjjuCG/"]Afonso Moreira[/a] drove at the Mainz defence before squaring to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/diaby-moussa/GYjwX8oI/"]Moussa Diaby[/a], who unleashed a wonderful strike in off the top corner from the edge of the box.[/b][/p][p]Unlike in the first half, Mainz didn’t respond well to conceding a second, and Leverkusen’s travelling fans were instead wondering how [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/terrier-martin/xlu6948L/"]Martin Terrier[/a] didn’t put their side 5-2 up, before Amiri was wasteful from range.[/p][p]Carles Martinez Novell’s side have taken their unbeaten run in this head-to-head to seven matches (W5) and move up into the top four, while Mainz missed the chance to reach 10 points after six top-flight matches for the first time since 2010, [b]despite [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hollerbach-benedict/Ik1CWJ23/"]Benedict Hollerbach[/a] tucking away a consolation in the dying seconds.[/b][/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/caci-anthony/rsCh6sgU/"]Anthony Caci[/a] (Mainz)[/b][/p][embed guid="80588d18-3404-4b9b-8e99-6a1de68a603f" url="https://x.com/bayer04_en/status/2108942116101443794" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/bayer-leverkusen-4jcj2zMd/mainz-EuakNmc1/summary/stats/?mid=f1XIrCmJ"]Catch up on all the match stats with Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]