Bielefeld beat fellow Bundesliga strugglers Mainz 2-1

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Arminia Bielefeld hold off late Mainz fightback to win 2-1

First half goals from Manuel Prietl and Ritsu Doan give Arminia Bielefeld all three points. Watch Bundesliga on ESPN+.

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:11 am

Manuel Prietl and Ritsu Doan nabbed first-half goals for Arminia Bielefeld as they grabbed a much-needed 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Mainz in their Bundesliga clash on Saturday.

The home side took the lead when Prietl scored with a deflected shot in the 21st minute, and the Mainz defence sprang another leak 10 minutes later when it allowed Japanese midfielder Doan to pick up the ball and advance through the middle before firing home from outside the box to make it 2-0.

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Mainz mounted a late fightback and substitute Kevin Stoeger pulled a goal back in the 82nd minute, stabbing home a pass from Jean-Paul Boetius after his initial effort had been blocked, but despite a late barrage they could not find an equaliser.

With their second win of the season Bielefeld rose above Mainz in the table to 16th spot with seven points after 10 games, leaving Mainz two points further back. Schalke are bottom with three points after nine games.