Noah Atubolu Shines in Derby Victory Against Mainz

Noah Atubolu steals the derby show in front of Klopp

Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp picked a good day to drop in. In front of the national boss, Eintracht Frankfurt walked out of Mainz with a 3-1 derby win – and with a goalkeeper who all but grabbed the spotlight with his bare hands.

Penalty killer in his element

Frankfurt were 1-0 up in the 43rd minute, Jonny Burkardt having struck against his former club, when the game threatened to tilt. Mainz captain Nadiem Amiri placed the ball on the spot. The crowd rose. A chance to level, to reset the afternoon.

Then came Noah Atubolu.

The 24-year-old, who only landed in Frankfurt on Deadline Day after a drawn-out summer in which he had actually been eyeing a move to the Premier League, stared Amiri down and did what he now does better than anyone in the Bundesliga.

He saved.

Amiri joined a growing list of frustrated takers. Romano Schmid, Andre Silva, Florian Wirtz, Kevin Volland and Josip Juranovic had already failed from the spot against Atubolu. This was number six in a row in the league – a Bundesliga record he extended in Mainz with Klopp watching from the stands.

For a goalkeeper still waiting on a first DFB call-up, it felt like a loud, clear message ahead of the international break on 17 September.

Frankfurt strike while Mainz reel

The penalty stop didn’t just preserve the lead. It changed the mood of the entire derby.

Mainz sagged. Frankfurt pounced.

Moments after Atubolu’s save, Can Uzun made it 2-0 for SGE, striking virtually on the stroke of half-time and twisting the knife in a stunned home side.

Any hope of a Mainz response after the interval never really materialised. The visitors controlled the tempo, and when Uzun added his second – Frankfurt’s third – on 60 minutes, the contest was effectively over.

Phillip Tietz’s goal in the 89th minute arrived far too late to spark a comeback. It was consolation only on a bruising afternoon for 1. FSV Mainz 05.

Not invincible, but in irresistible form

Atubolu’s current run from the spot looks freakish, yet his record shows he is not untouchable. In 2023 and 2024, Julian Weigl, Lois Openda and Marvin Ducksch all beat him with their first three penalties faced in the Bundesliga.

Something has clearly clicked since then. Six consecutive saves later, the former junior international has turned a weakness into a calling card – and on derby day in Mainz, with the national coach in attendance, he delivered his most emphatic audition yet.