Palace were struggling to click into gear – but found some attacking rhythm with 10 minutes remaining as Esse cut inside, exchanged passes with substitute Odsonne Edouard, dribbled past another player and picked out the bottom-left corner with a composed finish.
As the heavens opened in the closing stages, Palace were given further hope with four minutes remaining: Esse was chopped down cynically on the right flank, and Borna Sosa’s in-swinging free-kick was glanced home emphatically by Maxence Lacroix.
With Palace pressing for an equaliser in the closing stages, the clock eventually ran out on the Eagles – but there was no shortage of fighting spirit on show, with another double-header against FC Augsburg set to take place, streamed live on Palace TV+, on Friday.
Palace XI: Benítez (GK), Clyne, Lacroix, Guéhi, Ahamada (Cardines, HT), Devenny, Kamada, Sosa, Rak-Sakyi (Rodney, 46), Nketiah (Edouard, 46), Esse.
Subs not used: Matthews (GK).
Mainz XI: Rieß (GK), Schopp, Leitsch, Potulski, Widmer, Gleiber, Maloney, Nordin, Bobzien, Sieb, Kawasaki.
Subs not used: Bos (GK), Batz, Kinzig
As It Happened