BERLIN, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Mainz 05 booked a place in the last 16 of a European competition for the first time in their history after a composed 2-0 home win over Samsunspor in the UEFA Conference League league phase on Thursday.
Knowing victory would secure direct passage into the knockout rounds, Mainz started patiently before gradually taking control. Playmaker Nadiem Amiri set the tone, having an early effort blocked before curling a free kick narrowly wide as the hosts increased the pressure.
Samsunspor, however, almost struck first against the run of play. Goalkeeper Daniel Batz reacted sharply to keep out Emre Kilinc, and the visitors then wasted the rebound when Carlo Holse hit a teammate who was already on the ground.
Mainz made their dominance count just before halftime. Captain Silvan Widmer surged into the area from deep and finished from a tight angle to put the hosts 1-0 ahead in the 44th minute.
The Bundesliga side tightened its grip moments after the restart when Rick van Drongelen was penalized for handball following a driven effort from Lee Jae-sung. Amiri calmly converted the resulting penalty three minutes into the second half to double the lead.
Amiri and Lee both went close again as Mainz threatened to add a third, but Samsunspor steadied and limited further damage. Mainz then dropped into a compact shape, defended with discipline and restricted the Turkish side to speculative efforts.
The win left Mainz sixth in the league phase, safely inside the top eight and through to the last 16, while Samsunspor slipped into the playoff round. ■
