Mainz held Wolfsburg 1-1 in German Bundesliga

BERLIN, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Mainz shared the spoils with Wolfsburg following a 1-1 draw at the opener of the 24th round in Bundesliga on Friday.

Both sides failed to grab a vital victory in the relegation battle as Yoshinori Muto's equalizer cancelled out Josip Brekalo's opener for the "Wolves" just before the break.

Wolfsburg grabbed a fairy tale start on the road as Josip Brekalo broke the deadlock with just six minutes into the game after tapping home a cross from William inside the box.

The visitors should have doubled the lead but Joshua Guilavogui's header rattled only the crossbar following a corner in the 11th minute.

Wolfsburg's second promising chance was a wakening call for the hosts, who gained a foothold into the game when Robin Quaison tested Wolfsburg goalkeeper Koen Casteels after a solo run with 14 minutes played.

Mainz gained momentum and worked out another promising chance as Danny Lazat unleashed an effort from sharp angle in the 24th minute.

However, the hosts had to wait until the 44th minute before their efforts paid off as Yoshinori Muto volleyed home a cross from Gerrit Holtmann to restore parity from inside the box.

After the restart, both sides focused on their defence hence goal scoring opportunities remained a rare occurrence.

The game came back to life around the hour mark when Yunus Malli was through but squandered the golden chance in a one-on-one with goalkeeper Robin Zentner.

The "Wolves" left another chance unused when Daniel Didavi rattled the post in the closing period. Mainz came also to a late chance but substitute Anthony Ujah saw his shot saved by Koen Casteels in the dying seconds of the clash.

With the draw both team stay in touching distance to the drop zone, Wolfsburg continue on the 14th whereas Mainz stay on the 15th place.

The following fixtures are scheduled for Saturday: runaway leaders Bayern Munich host Hertha Berlin, Hoffenheim encounter Freiburg, newly promoted Hannover take on Monchengladbach, newly promoted Stuttgart face in-from Eintracht Frankfurt and Werder Bremen clash with Hamburg for the Northern derby. Enditem