Goals from Yoshinori Muto and Yunus Malli have earned Mainz 05 a 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt at the Coface Arena.
It took the hosts less than five minutes to break the deadlock as Pablo de Blasis showed impressive footwork in the box to beat two defenders before squaring the ball to Muto, who tapped in from close range.
Frankfurt enjoyed long spells on top after the early setback, but they were denied an equaliser when Loris Karius tipped over a free kick from Bastian Oczipka.
The visitors were dealt a blow before the break as Alexander Meier picked up a second yellow card 12 minutes after his first caution to leave his teammates with a huge mountain to climb.
Mainz capitalised to double their lead two minutes later when Muto burst into the box before a tackle on the midfielder sent the ball to Malli, and he slotted home to pile the misery on the visitors.
Malli threatened to score his second of the game when he unleashed a curling effort early in the second half, but Lukas Hradecky tipped the ball to safety.
Frankfurt pulled a goal back in spectacular fashion when Haris Seferovic exchanged passes with Stefan Aigner before finding the top corner with an emphatic finish.
It made life uncomfortable for Mainz in the final half hour, but Frankfurt were unable to create any more clear chances late on as the hosts secured all three points.
Callum Mulvihill
