RC Strasbourg Alsace were punished for a slow start in their UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final against Mainz.
Kaishu Sano’s deflected shot opened the scoring in the 11th minute, and eight minutes later, the Bundesliga side’s lead was doubled thanks to Stefan Posch’s well-struck effort from inside the box.
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It left Strasbourg with a mountain to climb, although they will be frustrated to have not halved the deficit. Julio Enciso missed a glorious chance, whilst in one sequence in the second half, Valentín Barco struck the bar, Diego Moreira’s volley on the rebound forced a strong save, and Emanuel Emegha then couldn’t turn his header at the back post on target. The game would finish 2-0 to Mainz.
Le Racing’s frustration was evident at the full-time whistle, with several players involved in a post-match brawl that Moreira himself was at the heart of. The Belgium international is, nonetheless, hopeful of a comeback in the second leg at the Meinau next Thursday.
“If we do the same thing in the return leg, I think that we will come back and do it. We can’t wait for the return leg,” said Moreira post-match