Werder Bremen missed the opportunity to boost their bid for European football as Mainz 05 secured a goalless draw at the Weserstadion.
It was Bremen who applied most of the early pressure, but they missed a decent opportunity to break the deadlock when Jannik Vestergaard headed straight at Loris Karius.
Despite being forced onto the back foot for much of the first half, Mainz came close to taking the lead in impressive style as Yunus Malli collected the ball in midfield before skipping a couple of challenges and dragging a shot just wide of the post.
Bremen midfielder Fin Bartels fired wide of the target early in the second half, before Mainz forced Raphael Wolf into a rare save when Johannes Geis targeted the top corner with a free kick.
Karius came to the rescue for the visitors with two saves in two minutes as he kept out a low effort from Levent Aycicek before getting a vital hand to Franco Di Santo's header at the near post.
There was a chance for the hosts to snatch a late winner when poor marking allowed Bartels to collect a loose ball in the box, but the midfielder send his effort wide in stoppage time as Mainz held on for a point.
Callum Mulvihill
