Mainz Split The Points With Hanover

Fans hoping for goals in the Bundesliga in Sunday will have to wait for the late match. Mainz and Hanover neutralized one another and played out a scoreless draw.

Mainz versus Hanover was a clash between two Europa League aspirants, and in the first half there was little separating the two teams. Most of the decisive battles took place in midfield.



Mainz should have had a penalty after around a half an hour when Marcelo brought down Shinji Okazaki, but the referee's whistle stayed silent. Mainz were the better side, but Hanover almost grabbed the lead just before the break when striker Joselu drew a fine save from Mainz keeper Loris Karius.



The second half opened with an offensive flurry. Okazaki drew a promising free kick from 23 meters, but Johannes Geis couldn't find a way past Hanover's Ron-Robert Zieler. At the other end, Hiroski Kiyotake lashed a wicked shot on goal which Christoph Moritz had to clear off the line.



But whether it was the wet weather, or the disgruntlement of the football gods, neither team came close to scoring again.



Sunday's late match sees Freiburg hosting Mönchengladbach.