Bayern Munich vs. FSV Mainz: Winners and Losers from Bundesliga
Bayern Munich suffered their first home defeat of the Bundesliga season on Wednesday as Mainz shocked the German top flight's leaders with a 2-1 win at the Allianz Arena.
After Jairo Samperio's surprise opener in the first half, Arjen Robben restored parity after the break and put Bayern in good position to take all three points. Yet Jhon Cordoba stunned the home crowd with a late second for Mainz, delivering Bayern only their second loss of the campaign.
Following Wednesday's action, B/R looks at the those who gained and lost the most from the match. In this particular fixture, only winners were found. Click "Begin Slideshow" to see our picks.
Winner: Loris Karius
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It often happens that opponents start off well against Bayern but either fail to hit the target or are denied by Manuel Neuer's brilliance in goal. After one or two rare opportunities, Bayern go ahead (sometimes with their first decent opportunity) and usually go on to win comfortably.
On Wednesday, the script was flipped as Loris Karius did phenomenally well to deny Juan Bernat with his fingertips, holding Bayern scoreless. The visitors would later take the lead due to a great goal, but that position was only achievable thanks to Karius, who refused to concede even when the linesman's flag was raised.
The 22-year-old Karius has gathered many plaudits for his fine performances this season. His display against Bayern is sure to earn him many more.
Winner: Jairo Samperio
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Jairo Samperio had emerged as a real star of the Mainz attack in the weeks heading into the Bayern match, with two goals and two assists in the five matches prior. But he took the next step on Wednesday by keeping his nerve and scoring the all-important opener as a visitor to the Allianz Arena.
Teams rarely have more than a couple chances against Bayern, and often the pressure gets the better of one of the few players who finds himself in a good scoring position. Christian Clemens had a golden opportunity to make it 2-0 on Wednesday, but despite having plenty of time, fired hopelessly wide. But Samperio kept his cool and scored from close range, stunning the hosts and setting his side in the driver's seat.
Winner: Arjen Robben
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Arjen Robben hasn't had the best 2016 thus far, and since he turned 32, there have been legitimate concerns about his viability as a reliable starter for Bayern in the big games. Yet on Wednesday, he scored a very big goal for Bayern, and it was all his doing.
With about a quarter of the match remaining, the Dutchman received the ball well outside the box, took a touch and blasted a low strike past Karius. It was a goal that came from nothing, seemingly, but it was enough: With it, Bayern found themselves not only on the front foot, but level once more in terms of score.
Winner: Jhon Cordoba
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Jhon Cordoba has been second choice in the Mainz attack to Yoshinori Muto this season, but when the Japanese striker returns from his injury, he may find his role compromised.
That's because Cordoba, who wasn't even trusted to start on Wednesday, came off the bench and hit Bayern with an unexpected sucker punch to snatch three points for Mainz. The momentum was with the hosts until the very moment Cordoba scored, but the Colombian managed to take his chance with expert efficiency to lift the visitors to an improbable victory.
Winner: Leon Balogun
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Few defenses manage to hold Bayern scoreless. Mainz, a team with no notable stars in front of their goalkeeper, came very close on Wednesday with a truly phenomenal defensive display.
Yes, Arjen Robben scored a wonder-goal from well outside the box. He could have been marked, but wasn't. Yet otherwise, the visitors were truly exceptional, and by most accounts, Leon Balogun was their hero. The Nigerian defender was everywhere he needed to be, winning the ball time and time again to take the pressure off. According to the official Bundesliga website's live ticker, he won 12 of 17 challenges. And as a result, Mainz pulled off a big upset.
