22 Shots, No Goals as Mainz and Paderborn Share Bundesliga Draw

FSV Mainz 05 and SC Paderborn 07 opened their Bundesliga campaign with a 0-0 draw at Mewa Arena on Saturday, August 29. Mainz had the greater attacking output, but Paderborn goalkeeper N. Noll made four saves to preserve a point in a match that finished without a winner.

Mainz create more but cannot break through

Mainz, set up in a 3-1-4-2 formation by coach Urs Fischer, controlled 51% of possession and produced 22 shots to Paderborn’s 10. The hosts also registered 15 shots from inside the box, compared with six for Ralf Kettemann’s 3-4-3 side. Their territorial pressure was reflected in an 11-2 advantage in corner kicks.

Despite that statistical edge, the scoreline remained level because Mainz could not turn their opportunities into a goal. They managed four shots on target, while Paderborn recorded none, and Noll’s four saves were important in keeping the visitors in the contest. Mainz also had 388 accurate passes from 463 attempts, narrowly ahead of Paderborn’s 382 accurate passes from 457.

Paderborn hold firm through the changes

The first recorded disciplinary incident came in the 38th minute, when Paderborn’s Santiago Castaneda was booked. The visitors then made their first change in the 67th minute, replacing Stefano Marino with Steffen Tigges. Mainz responded a minute later with two substitutions, sending on Otto Ruoppi for Sheraldo Becker and Ransford Konigsdorffer for Lee Jae-Sung.

Further changes followed in the second half. Mainz replaced Anthony Caci with Silvan Widmer in the 73rd minute, while Paderborn introduced Jonah Sticker for Mattes Hansen and Tom Baack for Laurin Ulrich two minutes later. Hansen had been shown a yellow card before leaving the field, in the 72nd minute. Mainz’s Phillipp Mwene received the final booking in the 90th minute.

Noll stands out in goalless opener

N. Noll was the highest-rated player of the match, receiving a 7.6 rating after playing all 90 minutes and making four saves. His performance contrasted with Mainz’s strong shot volume and helped Paderborn secure a draw despite finishing with 49% possession, two corners and no shots on goal.

The result leaves both teams without a win or defeat from this opening fixture. In the supplied Bundesliga table, Mainz are listed ninth and Paderborn 17th, with both shown on zero points from zero games and a goal difference of zero. No recent form data was available for either side, and no goal scorers were recorded as the opening-round meeting ended 0-0.