'It doesn't work by magic'

"Pressure is growing on Bayer 04 Leverkusen and coach Heiko Herrlich. The Werkself suffered a 3-1 defeat away to FSV Mainz 05 who had no points and no goals before the game. After just one point from the first three games, Leverkusen's Champions League ambitions have been dented," reported the online edition of the Rheinische Post. The editor identifies the reason for the defeat in the first half: "Kevin Volland had the chance to make it 2-0 shortly after going ahead but a last-ditch sliding tackle from Mainz player Latza prevented him shooting. Bayer 04 looked livelier than the hosts but were unable to create any more goalscoring opportunities before half-time."

 The reporter from the Express reports two completely different halves: "It all looked so good when Dominik Kohr open the scoring. Bayer appeared livelier, sharper and created chances in the first half. Volland should have scored shortly after the opening goal but he hesitated on the ball in front of goal. "I'm going through a phase where something’s not quite right," he said later. Instead of going 2-0 up, Bayer 04 lost their way. Just before half-time, Yoshinori Muto suddenly popped up unmarked in the box and hit the ball into the Bayer net with a sideways scissor kick. A rude awakening before the break. Volland: "We came out for the second half and thought it would carry on in the same way as the first." But the equaliser gave Mainz a boost. First, Abdou Diallo scored on 57 minutes after a free kick with Bernd Leno looking less than impressive. Then Suat Serdar made it 3-1 on 71 minutes. Bayer were out for the count."

 Heiko Herrlich made his position clear in the BILD am Sonntag: "We've got our backs to the wall." And sporting director Rudi Völler was quoted as follows: "One point after three games is not enough. We’re giving away goals too easily. It doesn't work by magic." The head coach takes a similar view: "We have lots of quality in the squad but you also need the right mentality."

The Tagesspiegel identified the surprise equaliser as one reason for the defeat for the Werkself in Mainz: "Bayer started well and took the lead through Dominik Kohr. Until just before half-time, the visitors had almost complete control of the game but Yoshinori Muto succeeded in scoring the leveller out of the blue in added time. After the restart, it was Mainz who controlled the game."

The Berliner Kurier takes a similar view: "The lead through Kohr did not bring Bayer any real security. They looked superior but failed to increase their lead. And then came the slap in the face just before the break."