Mainz 05 came from behind to beat Bournemouth 2-1 in a Club Friendly on 15 August 2026. The hosts took an early lead through S. Becker before the visitors turned the game around in the first half. Bournemouth were two goals ahead at 41 minutes, but Mainz refused to stay down.
S. Becker opened the scoring at the 14th minute, giving the home side confidence early on. Rayan levelled just before the hour mark at 38 minutes. Evanilson then put Bournemouth ahead at 41 minutes, and it looked like the visitors had done enough.
Changes came thick and fast after the break. Mainz brought on nine players at the 61st minute, including A. Caci, D. da Costa, and Lee Jae-Sung. Bournemouth made their own alterations, with Evanilson and Rayan coming off at 70 minutes.
W. Boving headed home the winner at 78 minutes, completing a remarkable turnaround. The home side had been out-attacked throughout, with Bournemouth registering 116 attacks to Mainz 05's 87. Yet it was Mainz who found the decisive moment.
Both sides shared possession evenly, each recording 50 per cent. Bournemouth earned five corners to Mainz's three, but the statistics told only part of the story. And here's the thing — friendlies are rarely about the numbers.
The result gives Mainz 05 another victory in their pre-season campaign. They had beaten Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 earlier this month and Uedinze 3-3 before that. Bournemouth, meanwhile, extended their unbeaten run to eight matches across all competitions.