It looked as though Bayern had finally relinquished their long-held Bundesliga crown when they were comprehensively beaten by Mainz here at the tail end of last season, but the Rheinland-Pfalz side ultimately denied Borussia Dortmund the title with a draw on the final day.
However, the 05ers haven’t tasted victory since that result in April, and chances of a fourth consecutive home win against Bayern were slimmed after just 10 minutes. Leroy Sane broke away on the counter to play it out wide to Kingsley Coman, who arrowed his shot into the far corner.
Lee Jae-sung’s header was fantastically tipped onto the post by Sven Ulreich to deny Mainz an almost instant reply, and the home side lived to regret that miss just moments later.
Head tennis at the other end allowed Leon Goretzka to send it across goal for Harry Kane, who nodded in a remarkable ninth of the season. Credit must be given to Bo Svensson, whose nothing-to-lose tactics got Mainz back into it on the stroke of half-time.
Brajan Gruda drove forward to feed Anthony Caci on the left-hand side, and the Frenchman channelled his inner Coman to fire an unstoppable strike into the far top corner.
Bayern’s need for a third became increasingly clear as the second half got into full swing, with Caci’s attempt bouncing wide following a marauding run by Danny da Costa.
The scare gave the visitors all the motivation they needed to get that all-important breathing space, and Jamal Musiala brilliantly won it back to square it to Goretzka, who punted in a low drive. There was a stark improvement in Mainz’s play as the match came to its conclusion, but Gruda’s striking of the post following a brilliant run perhaps summed up their night.
Wins for Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart earlier on Saturday mean that Bayern do not go top of the Bundesliga table despite the three points, but Thomas Tuchel will be satisfied that they remain within touching distance following a fixture which has caused them so much trouble in recent years.
The pressure builds on Svensson, meanwhile, and his side are at risk of going bottom following the seventh-worst opening eight matches in the Bundesliga’s 61-year history.
Flashscore Player of the Match: Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich)
