Sepp van den Berg turns 22 today, and the on-loan Liverpool defender helped himself to an early birthday present on Tuesday with his first goal of the season.
It was a very important one for his club Mainz too, as it secured an impressive 1-1 draw away to Borussia Dortmund, the point helping his side to climb out of the Bundesliga relegation zone on goal difference ahead of Union Berlin and Koln, who face each other this event.
With Die Nullfünfer trailing 1-0 coming up to half-time, they made the most of an inswinging free kick, with the Dutch defender punishing the hosts for failing to clear the danger as he pounced on a loose ball to equalise.
It opened Van den Berg’s account for the season and marked just his fourth goal in senior football (Transfermarkt), along with securing a very valuable point for his team in their battle against the drop.
Happy birthday Sepp – hope you enjoyed the early present!
You can view Van den Berg’s equaliser below, via Bundesliga on YouTube: