Taiwo Awoniyi haunts former club Mainz by scoring two quick-fire goals as Union Berlin came from behind to win 2-1 at Mainz.
The Nigerian striker scored two second-half goals as the Iron Ones secured a comeback victory against his former club Mainz FC in a German elite division encounter on Sunday.
Still basking in the euphoria of their 3-1 victory over Maccabi Haifa in Thursday’s Uefa Europa Conference League fixtures, they travelled to the MEWA Arena, hoping to extend their winning streak in all competitions, while the hosts aspired to return to winning ways following a 1-0 away defeat at Bayer Leverkusen.
There was little to choose between the two sides in a keenly contested first half. Max Kruse fired off a warning shot from distance for Union, before Mainz's Anderson Lucoqui steered a back-post strike comfortably wide
In-between those two openings, Awoniyi had completely fluffed his lines in an attempt to turn home Kruse's cross. It proved a costly miss as Marcus Ingvartsen swept a smart first-time finish beyond Andreas Luthe to give Mainz the half-time lead against his parent club.
They could have doubled their advantage, however, goalkeeper Luthe was made a smart save from Onisiwo's effort, the two team went into the halftime break with a one-goal separating them.
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Union re-emerged from the tunnel with far greater purpose about their game. Kruse shot wide from 18 yards, before playing in Awoniyi for the equaliser.
The former Liverpool striker, who also spent time on loan at Mainz, finished with aplomb from inside the area after barrelling past David Nemeth, That goal was his fifth in the 2021-22 German top-flight season as well as Union Berlin’s 100th goal in the top-flight.
He doubled his tally less than four minutes later in an almost carbon copy of his first, though Robin Zentner got a hand to the strike and will feel he should have done better. Karim Onisiwo and Moussa Niakhate went desperately close to levelling matters late on, but Mainz - reduced to 10 men in added time when Domink Kohr collected his second yellow card - could not avert a third straight game without a win.
Eight minutes from full-time, man-of-the-match Awoniyi was substituted for German striker Andreas Voglsammer, with his compatriots Anthony Ujah and Suleiman Abdullahi not listed for action.
Mainz 1-2 Union Berlin
Goals: 1-0 Ingvartsen (39'), 1-1 Awoniyi (69'), 1-2 Awoniyi (73')
Red cards: Kohr (90'+2)
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