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As it turned out, Mainz really couldn't hold their lead.
After leading 2-0 in the first half, Bayer Leverkusen launched a frantic comeback starting in the second.
Starting from the 50th minute, Mainz paid the price with five yellow cards.
The two center-backs, the deep-lying Pekovic and Gunkel, and even Wang Shuo, all received yellow cards for fouls while tracking back to defend.
This was the first yellow card of Wang Shuo's professional career.
But what was the result?
In the 67th minute, during the defense of a corner kick, Friedrich outjumped Nowitzki and scored with a header.
The former Mainz captain, now a center-back for the Pharmacy, was intimately familiar with Mainz's set-piece defense. He used his heading advantage to pull one back for Bayer Leverkusen.
After that, Bayer Leverkusen's attacks grew even fiercer.
Klopp had no choice but to make a series of substitutions.
All the way until the 84th minute, Mainz still held a 2-1 lead.
