Trailing 2–0 from the first leg in Germany, Strasbourg burst into life midway through the first half as they set about halving Mainz's advantage.
After a flat opening at the Stade de la Meinau, the tie almost took an unexpected turn on 19 minutes when Dominik Kohr was fortunate to escape a red card for elbowing Diego Moreira. Gary O’Neil’s furious protests on the touchline achieved nothing, and Moreira nearly exacted immediate revenge with an acrobatic scissor‑kick that forced a smart save from Mainz goalkeeper Daniel Batz.
With Strasbourg at last finding their rhythm, Sebastian Nanasi broke the tie open, timing his run perfectly to turn in Julio Enciso’s cut‑back as the hosts stamped their authority on the game
Abdoul Ouattara’s half-volley curled narrowly past the post from distance and Encisco forced another fine save from Batz as Strasbourg brimmed with confidence, before the pair combined for Ouattara to cancel out Mainz’s advantage with a thumping header from six yards.
The sorely-needed opportunity to regroup at half-time saw Urs Fishcer attempt to wrestle back control of the tie with the introduction of playmaker Nadiem Amiri allowing Mainz to attack with more purpose; however, they continued to be harassed by Strasbourg’s willingness to press at every opportunity and get back on the front foot.
Racing spurned the perfect opportunity to take the aggregate lead when Batz denied substitute Emmanuel Emegha from the penalty spot after Valentin Barco was sent tumbling inside the penalty area.
Yet Strasbourg’s perseverance paid off, and when Martial Godo weaved his way through Mainz’s hapless defence, Encisco seized the moment to fire Racing into a decisive 3-0 lead on the night, turning the tie on its head.
Five minutes later, Strasbourg struck again as Emgeha made amends for his earlier miss with Encisco capping a wonderful performance with another fine assist to pick out the Chelsea-bound striker to rubber-stamp their place in the competition’s last four.
With their late pursuit of an avenue back into the game proving futile, dejected Mainz will be left to reflect on the disappointment of being unable to build on the foundation they’d afforded themselves from their commanding first leg advantage on a night that will live long in the memory for O’Neil’s side.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Julio Encisco (Strasbourg)
