Quansah’s 88th-minute strike rescued a 1-1 draw for Bayer Leverkusen against Mainz, keeping their UCL qualification hopes alive.
Bayer Leverkusen managed to maintain their push for a top-four finish in the Bundesliga after a dramatic 1-1 draw against Mainz at the BayArena.
It ends in a draw.
90+8′ | 1-1 | #B04M05 pic.twitter.com/UZSGD8oL93
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) February 28, 2026
While the hosts were hoping for a comfortable victory to build on their recent Champions League success, they found themselves frustrated by a resilient opponent for most of the afternoon.
The match served as a major test for Kasper Hjulmand’s side, who were looking to bounce back from a disappointing 1-0 loss to Union Berlin last week
Leverkusen completely controlled the tempo in the first half, hogging 70% of the possession. Despite the lopsided stats, they struggled to create clear-cut chances against a battened down Mainz defense.
The home side was restricted to just one shot on target for nearly the entire first half, with Mainz goalkeeper Daniel Batz proving to be a formidable wall, notably denying a powerful long-range effort from Jonas Hofmann.
As the second half began with no change in momentum, Hjulmand decided to shake things up on the hour mark.
He introduced Martin Terrier and Ibrahim Maza to inject some much-needed energy into the attack. The tactical shift almost paid off immediately when the substitutes combined to set up Patrik Schick, but Batz once again produced a superb save to keep the scores level and the pressure mounting.
Just as Leverkusen seemed to be ramping up the intensity, they were hit by a perfectly executed sucker punch.
Following a Leverkusen corner, Batz launched a long ball upfield to find Paul Nebel on the wing. Nebel’s pinpoint cross found Sheraldo Becker at the edge of the box, who swept a beautiful volley into the net. The goal stunned the home crowd and left Leverkusen looking rattled with only 15 minutes left on the clock.
Mainz retreated even further into their defensive shell to protect the lead, and for a moment, it looked like they would pull off a massive upset.
However, in the 88th minute, Christian Kofane managed to break through the lines and square the ball into the heart of the box. While everyone expected a striker to be there, it was center-back Jarell Quansah who arrived to sweep the ball home, leveling the score and sparking massive relief in the stands.
Time to step it up. pic.twitter.com/qIpXnEmoTO
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) February 28, 2026
The late equalizer keeps Leverkusen in 6th place, sitting just three points behind VfB Stuttgart in the race for the final Champions League spot.
