The defeat left the Foals rooted to the foot of the table with little chance of avoiding relegation with only four games of the season remaining.

Eberl was quick to blame the referee, unhappy that Aytekin failed to give his side a penalty when Marco Reus was fouled by Eugen Polanski while also showing Gladbach forward Mike Hanke a red card.

"It is a farce," he told Sky television. "If he gives a second yellow card (to Hanke), then he has got to give the penalty.

"On the one hand he acts consequentially, yet on the other hand he is a coward."

Gladbach were forced to play over half an hour with 10 men following Hanke's dismissal and they conceded the goal with three minutes left on the clock.

"It is a huge disappointment," said Gladbach coach Lucien Favre.

"It is bitter when you concede a decisive goal just three minutes from time."

The win gave Mainz a five-point cushion over Nurnberg in the race for a place in the Europa League next season, and their coach Thomas Tuchel was delighted with his side's response to recent pressure.

"I am so relieved that Andre's (Schurrle) shot went in," he said.

"We had all started thinking (that we would not score) because we had something to lose since we had an extra man."