Hamburg, never relegated from the Bundesliga, held fellow strugglers Mainz to a turgid goalless draw. Schalke head to Freiburg in Sunday’s late game, with both sides still harboring ambitions of qualifying for Europe.Hamburg 0-0 Mainz
Mainz were unable to put their chances away in a drab goalless draw at fellow strugglers Hamburg.
In what was a much-anticipated clash of the relegation candidates, the game was a huge disappointment, with neither side risking much as they aimed to avoid defeat.
Mainz had the best chances, with Jhon Cordoba going close in the sixth minute, but he was denied by a double save from Christian Mathenia, who then denied Yoshinori Muto.
Cordoba was Mainz’s most likely source of a goal as he had another decent effort stopped by Mathenia, who was definitely the busier of the two keepers as he continues to deputize for the injured Rene Adler.
The game became a little stretched as fulltime approached, but Mathenia kept out a goalbound effort by Jairo Sampeiro.
The point keeps both side tied on 34 points, with Mainz just ahead of Hamburg by virtue of their superior goal difference. Both teams are two points behind Wolfsburg, who travel to Hamburg on the final day of the season.
