Mateta’s hat trick helps Mainz rout Freiburg in Bundesliga

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/04/2019 (2735 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MAINZ, Germany – Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a hat trick as Mainz routed Freiburg 5-0 on Friday to swap spots and move into 12th place in the Bundesliga.

Freiburg made the better start and even struck the crossbar early on, but a mistake from Alexander Schwolow got Mainz underway in the 20th minute. The Freiburg goalkeeper’s attempted pass went straight to Mainz midfielder Jean-Paul Boetius, who gratefully returned it to the unguarded net.

Boetius set up Mateta’s first on a counterattack six minutes later, and was again involved when he played Spanish defender Aaron in to set up Mateta’s second in the 33rd.

Freiburg had had almost 75% possession, was winning more challenges and had had more efforts on goal.

Coach Christian Streich made two changes at the break, but Freiburg found Mainz goalkeeper Florian Mueller in excellent form — and was again dealt a lesson in efficiency.

Karim Onisiwo made it 4-0 in the 73rd — again set up by Boetius — four minutes before Mateta rubbed salt in Freiburg’s wounds by completing his hat trick.

___

More AP German soccer coverage: https://apnews.com/Bundesliga and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports