Stefan Bell scored a late equaliser as Mainz 05 secured a 2-2 draw in a thrilling encounter with Freiburg this afternoon.
Mainz were dominant from the first whistle, and they were unlucky not to be ahead early on when Shinji Okazaki fired just wide of the post from the edge of the box.
The hosts did break the deadlock in the 27th minute when Junior Diaz collected a chipped pass from Johannes Geis before finding the bottom corner with a calm finish.
Freiburg responded to level the scores just three minutes late through Jonathan Schmid, who peeled away from his marker to head home from Admir Mehmedi's cross.
The equaliser handed Freiburg a boost heading into the interval, and they took charge of the game early in the second half.
Schmid turned provider to hand the visitors the lead as his inch-perfect delivery allowed Mehmedi to plant a header into the bottom corner.
Okazaki looked the most threatening player for the hosts, but his frustrating afternoon continued when he curled just wide after beating a couple of Freiburg defenders.
There would be a late twist as Mainz snatched a deserved point when Bell headed in from a couple of yards out after Okazaki's cross had been cleared off the line.
Callum Mulvihill
