Neven Subotić and Mainz scored a big 1-0 win at Borussia Mönchengladbach to plant a second place flag only two point shy of the 2.Bundesliga table toppers.

The American defender worked a full 90 minutes in shutting down the league's top attack in their own home as the southwesterners snapped a three-game winless slide in style.

The visitors did all the damage necessary when Félix Borja gathered a Miroslav Karhan feed to bag what would stand up as the only goal on the day.

It was a hearty match between a pair of title fighters, with seven bookings and fewer real scoring chances.

'Gladbach striker Rob Friend missed a close range header just in front of the break and it was perhaps a better look than anything they would get in the second half.

Eugen Polanski went close from distance in the 77th minute, but Mainz would hold on to trek home with the full points.

The '05ers will return quickly, hosting cellar dwellers Carl Zeiss Jena on Friday night.

Scoring
MNZ - Félix Borja 10 (Miroslav Karhan) 3'

Line-ups
BM - Christopher Heimeroth, Tobias Levels (Marko Marin 70'), Steve Gohouri, Filip Daems, Alexander Voigt (Nando Rafael 81'), Patrick Paauwe (Eugen Polanski 33'), Soumaila Coulibaly, Marcel Ndjeng, Sascha Rösler, Oliver Neuville, Rob Friend

MNZ - Daniel Ischdonat; Tim Hoogland, Neven Subotić, Nikolce Noveski, Marco Rose, Nejmeddin Daghfous, Miroslav Karhan (Bo Svensson 90'), Milorad Peković, Damir Vrančić (Christian Demirtas 85'), Isaac Boakye (Ranislav Jovanović 85'), Félix Borja