Edmond Tapsoba said after the final whistle: "It was a difficult game and I'm happy with the three points. I'm very happy for Granit that he scored his first goal. We as a team are like a family, everyone fights for everyone else."
Media review: Leverkusen still unblemished
After the final whistle, kicker spoke of a "lacklustre workaday victory" and also wrote: "The Werkself's performance was not convincing, but it was still enough to set a Bundesliga record." With the win against Mainz, the Werkself remained unbeaten in their 33rd competitive match of the season - something no other team in German professional football had previously achieved. The FAZ wrote in this regard: "Leverkusen set record but with difficulty." Meanwhile, the Rheinische Post wrote that Mainz "demanded a lot" from the Werkself. The newspaper also ran the headline: "Leverkusen remain unblemished against Mainz." Meanwhile, the WAZ spoke of a "match characterised by tough tackling" and said: "The Werkself had problems for a long time against Mainz, who are seriously threatened by relegation."
Team news: Maiden goal and milestone
Xhaka scored his first competitive goal for Bayer 04 against Mainz, which he celebrated by grabbing his thigh as if injured. Alonso on the Swiss player's celebration: "Granit has often celebrated like that in training. I was still nervous the first time. But there was no moment of panic for me today." Andrich scored his second goal of the season and his first Bundesliga goal of the campaign. The Germany international also celebrated a milestone: It was his 100th competitive match for Bayer 04. Florian Wirtz, meanwhile, played his 100th Bundesliga match at the age of 20 years and 296 days - making him the fourth-youngest player after Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Julian Draxler to reach this mark. Odilon Kossounou played his first game for Bayer 04 this calendar year after winning the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil.
