Mainz 05 eased their relegation worries with a 2-0 win over fellow relegation candidates Freiburg in a Monday night Bundesliga game which saw a weird decision taken by the referee after reviews by the Video Assistant Referee ( VAR).
Referee Guido Winkman sounded his whistle for the half time break, but had to call the players back from the dressing room for a penalty in favour of Mainz 05 after using the VAR to review a handball incident in the box of Freiburg shortly before both teams went into the dressing room for the half time break.
Mainz midfielder Pablo de Blasis scored the penalty to put the hosts 1-0 before both teams were sent back into the dressing room for the half time break. The decision to award a spot kick to Mainz 05 after both teams have left the pitch for half time sparked a whole lot of debate across various social media platforms.
On the pitch Nigeria international defender Leon Balogun once again proved his worth with another commanding performance at the back for Mainz 05. A performance which earned him the best ratings among defenders of Mainz 05 who played in the game.
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Balogun combined his defensive duties with forays upfront to support the attack , and despite getting booked late into the game , he showed enough to prove why his expected departure from the club in the summer on a free transfer might hurt them in the long run.
29 year old Balogun is in the final year of his contract at the club he joined three years ago, and with no talks over an extension he could depart the team at the end of the season with Schalke 04 rumoured to be lining up a move for him aside interest from other teams in Europe.
Michael James
