BERLIN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Mainz 05 took a step toward the UEFA Conference League semifinals with a 2-0 first-leg win over Strasbourg in the first quarterfinal of the club's history on Thursday.
The home side set the tone immediately. Nelson Weiper flashed an early effort at the side netting after little more than a minute, and the pressure soon produced a lead that matched Mainz's start.
Kaishu Sano won the ball near midfield in the 11th minute, exchanged passes and carried it forward before bending his finish in off the right post and into the top corner. Mainz stayed compact without the ball, disrupted Strasbourg and broke forward with speed whenever space opened.
Stefan Posch nearly added a second with a long-range strike that Mike Penders pushed behind in the 18th minute. From the resulting corner, Paul Nebel found Posch near the penalty spot, and the defender met the ball on the volley to make it 2-0 a minute later.
Strasbourg, unbeaten in 10 matches coming into the tie, struggled to establish any rhythm before the interval. Guala Doue threatened after a corner, while Nebel and Phillip Tietz both came close as Mainz continued to find openings against a hesitant side.
The pattern barely changed after the restart. Strasbourg saw more of the ball but kept running into Mainz's press and the counters that followed. Tietz forced two saves from Penders in the 49th and 53rd minutes, while Julio Enciso wasted the visitors' clearest opening with a hurried finish.
Valentin Barco revived the contest for a moment when he crashed an effort against the crossbar in the 74th minute, and Diego Moreira was then denied by Daniel Batz. Yet Mainz still fashioned the better late chances, with Armindo Sieb twice failing to convert from close range.
The result leaves Mainz with an advantage before next Thursday's return in Strasbourg. Should Mainz reach the semifinal, either AEK Athens or Rayo Vallecano would lie in wait, with Spain's Rayo winning their first leg 3-0. ■
