Mainz vs. Borussia Dortmund: Winners and Losers from Bundesliga Game

Borussia Dortmund got back to their winning ways on Friday, beating Mainz 05, 2-0, away from home. 

It was a frantic game right from the start, with lots of chances for both sides thanks to some shoddy defending. WhoScored.com counted a total of 27 shots, with Dortmund edging Mainz, 16-11, in that stat.

Marco Reus scored Dortmund's first in the 18th minute after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang selflessly teed him up inside the box. 

Reus missed the chance to add a second from the penalty spot to start the second half.

Both teams wasted a few opportunities in the second half, with Dortmund looking a bit sharper in the attack than the hosts. They finally took one of their chances to kill the game eight minutes from time. Henrikh Mkhitaryan rounded goalkeeper Loris Karius and slotted another assist from Aubameyang home.

Dortmund were deserved winners in the end, but the game was tougher than it might seem looking at the result. 

Here's a look at the winners and losers from the game.

This was a special day for Thomas Tuchel. Dortmund's new head coach admitted as much before the game, telling German broadcaster Sky it felt weird coming into his old stadium using a side entrance.

While every win is important, winning in his first return to Mainz must feel especially sweet for the 42-year-old. 

Tuchel's personnel decisions were spot on, as he opted to play Reus in his more natural position on the left and Mkhitaryan on the right. Both players scored and played well—exceptionally well, in Mkhitaryan's case.

After the game, Tuchel lauded his team's mentality. He told Sky his team had lacked confidence after four winless games and that he was proud they overcame it.

Dortmund's coach can be satisfied with the game, knowing his team have got the resiliency to tough it out when they aren't playing their best football.

It was a forgettable evening for Mainz's centre-back. While he wasn't the one to blame for the penalty incident, he had a hand in both goals his team conceded.

At the 0-1 goal, he misplaced a fairly simple ball in the buildup. Mkhitaryan intercepted the pass and played it to Aubameyang. The Gabonese squared for Reus, who didn't give Karius any chance. Bungert's individual error thwarted Mainz's good start to the game.

In the second half, he again let his team down in buildup. This time, he played a ball to right-back Daniel Brosinski, who was under pressure immediately. Aubameyang intercepted his back pass and then set up Mkhitaryan to put the final nail in the coffin. 

Under a lot of scrutiny after a string of subpar performances, Reus needed a good game to get back on track. Scoring in the 18th minute was a confidence booster for the Germany international.

The 26-year-old looked more comfortable on the left side of the field, where he used to play under Jurgen Klopp and on international duty. He was more involved in his side's play than he was in previous weeks, playing on the right. Reus led Dortmund with four total shots, according to WhoScored.com.

Playing against Mainz might have been what the doctor ordered for Reus, seeing as they are his favourite opponent. Friday's goal was his ninth in 12 appearances against the Rhineland-Palatine side.

The missed penalty was the only blemish in Reus' performance. It was his first miss after he had converted his eight previous attempts from the spot.

Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc applauded Reus' performance, saying, per Deutsche Welle: "Marco is on the up right now. Everybody is delighted for him."

The referee didn't have his best game on Friday. He struggled evaluating duels all game, as Jochen Tittmar noted for Spox.com. 

His decision to point to the spot within a minute of the second half was laughable. Not only was it not a foul from Bungert on Aubameyang, it was also clearly outside of the penalty box. Stieler is probably happy that Reus missed the penalty, otherwise his decision would surely have become a talking point in the press this weekend.

If anything, Mainz should have had a penalty in this game. Aubameyang was part of the wall at a free-kick in the 70th minute, and the ball clearly hit his hand. It was not a stonewall penalty, however, and waving play on wasn't another mistake from the beleaguered referee.

The Switzerland international probably longed for a game like this to showcase his talents for his new club. So far this season, Roman Burki didn't get a lot of opportunities to prove his phenomenal skills last season for SC Freiburg wasn't a fluke. He was even at fault for (at least) one of Bayern Munich's goals in the 5-1 defeat in Bavaria.

On Friday, Burki silenced all his critics with a marvellous performance. He saved his team numerous times, displaying a wide array of goalkeeping skills. 

He showed off superb reflexes after six minutes, denying Muto from close range. In the 33rd minute, he exhibited great body control, as he managed to contort his body just enough to tip a free-kick from Jairo Samperio onto the bar. 

In the second half, he proved he can win one-on-one as well, as he again got the better of Muto. 

Burki's coming-out party earned him man-of-the-match honours from Bundesliga.com.

The Swiss needs to back this performance up and learn to be on the spot in games where he doesn't have many shots to save.