The FSV Mainz 05 sends an impressive sign of life in the relegation battle – also thanks to the neighborhood help from Frankfurt.
Danny da Costa was finally smiling again. It was a “really nice debut”, enthused the new wing racer of FSV Mainz 05 after he had sparked new hopes in the club with his courageous debut: “You couldn’t have imagined it better.”
In the relegation battle, confidence is back on Bruchweg – also thanks to the help of the neighborhood from Eintracht Frankfurt. In addition to da Costa, the rousing 3: 2 (2: 2) against RB Leipzig in Dominik Kohr also shone the second ex-Frankfurt as a tireless midfield engine.
“I’m happy to be here and the team looks really great,” said da Costa. Ironically, the short-term loan players who had no prospects at the Rhein-Main rivals from Frankfurt this season could become success factors in the relegation battle.
With passion, will and team spirit, the 05er overturned the title candidate. Exactly with the attributes that were mostly missing at the Rheinhessen this season. But now da Costa raved about “a great team performance. Everyone wanted, everyone was totally into it”.
He only signed the contract on Friday, then completed his first training session with the team and prepared the winning goal with a “giant run” on his debut. “There is hardly a hotter changeover gate,” said sports director Martin Schmidt.
On the right wing, the 27-year-old da Costa simply shook Leipzig off and served Leandro Barreiro (50th). Before that, Moussa Niakhaté (24/35) had twice equalized the lead of the guests by Tyler Adams (15th) and Marcel Halstenberg (30th) and thus paved the way for the first victory under coach Bo Svensson.
Da Costa, like Kohr, who had already played against VfL Wolfsburg (0-2) during the week, immediately prepared for the difficult mission to stay up. “They showed today why they can be valuable to us,” said Svensson.
And da Costa, who was already well integrated into the team, immediately set the route: “When I introduced myself, I said that we now have 17 chances,” he emphasized: “That means putting the heart on the pitch at least 17 times as today.” It already worked once.
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