A few days before the Champions League cracker against Serie A Croesus Napoli, Frankfurt’s Eintracht didn’t have much trouble with Bundesliga opponents Bremen. The Werderans were sent home confidently with a score of 2-0.
Once again among the scorers: Eintracht guarantor Randal Kolo Muani.
IMAGO/Jan Huebner
Eintracht conceded a total of three goals in the last matchday in the surprising 0: 3 in Cologne. But there were no defensive gaps to be seen on this 21st match day: In fact, the team of coach Oliver Glasner (Jakic and Knauff for Hasebe and Buta), who had been converted to two positions – especially the defensive combination – didn’t leave anything at all in the first 45 minutes to. Trapp was unemployed.
SVW coach Ole Werner, who had to make four changes after the recent 2-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund, was also able to do this offensively unimaginative appearance, as well as the players for Bittencourt (ban), Weiser (adductors), Groß (ill), Pieper (bench). Schmidt, Schmid, Gruev, Friedl sent on the field, not liked. The guarantors Ducksch and Füllkrug were completely unsubscribed.
To make matters worse, Captain Friedl scored an own goal in the 7th minute after a cross pass from Jakic, which also meant Frankfurt’s deserved lead at the break. The hosts did more, looked more dangerous, played more pleasantly and also had chances to make it 2-0 through Knauff (28′) or Lindström (45’+1′).
Pavlenka’s brilliant act – and yet the 0:2
After the change of sides, nothing changed in these impressions. With a solid performance, the Frankfurters made sure that the Bremen offensive did not develop even after the break. And just like at the beginning after eight minutes, the home side stabbed early – after seven turns of the hand: Max initially crossed strongly into the center, where Kolo Muani failed with a juicy header to a brilliant feat by Pavlenka. Knauff watched, picked up the ball and returned it to the forward who was not offside. He pushed the ball into the empty case from close range for the preliminary decision in this manageable duel (52nd).
Kolo Muani thus became the first SGE professional since detailed data collection (2004/05) with a double-digit number of goals and assists in a Bundesliga season. With ten goals and 13 assists, he was henceforth.
Forces spared for Naples
The second goal conceded that evening finally pulled the tooth out of the North Germans, who were still unimaginative in attack, so that the Hessians were even able to downshift and conserve energy in the final moves.
Highlights in the final minutes? Virtually in short supply: Pavlenka had to make an excellent save again (85′) before Füllkrug was able to register twice for the green-whites (90′ and an offside goal in 90’+1). But more was not required, which is why the game splashed with the 2:0th final whistle and the SGE thus brought in a sovereign threesome.
For Eintracht Frankfurt, the Champions League duel with the strong SSC Naples (sovereign table leader in Italy’s Serie A) is coming up on Tuesday, from 9 p.m. the ball will be rolling in the Deutsche Bank Park. Back in everyday Bundesliga life, the SBU travels to Leipzig on Saturday (3.30 p.m.). At the same time, SV Werder Bremen receives VfL Bochum, which is threatened with relegation.
