Victorious Frankfurt soar into Champions League week
After their nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions was ended by an uncharacteristic 3-0 defeat to FC Köln last weekend, Oliver Glasner was looking for a positive response from his side against Bremen. The Frankfurt boss only had to wait eight minutes for their top-four bid to get back on track, as Bremen’s Marco Friedl misdirected the ball into his own net after Kristijan Jakić guided Philipp Max’s deep free-kick into the danger zone.
Just four minutes had passed since the opener when Daichi Kamada bore down on goal with a seemingly golden opportunity to quickly double the home side’s advantage, but an unfortunate bobble caused the Japan international to blaze over. The contest turned scrappy following a frantic start, but Die Adler still managed to neatly carve out one final chance in first-half stoppage time when a slick attacking move culminated in Jesper Lindstrøm driving a wayward strike over Jiří Pavlenka’s goal.
A second goal may not have been forthcoming before the interval, but the hosts added to their tally within seven minutes of the restart. Randal Kolo Muani was initially denied by Pavlenka’s quick reflexes, but the Bremen goalkeeper’s superb reaction save was in vain, as Ansgar Knauff sent the rebound across the six-yard box for Kolo Muani to tap home his 10th league goal of the season.
With a lacklustre Bremen side unable to lay a glove on their superior hosts, Glasner’s focus began to turn to their UEFA Champions League clash with Napoli, highlighted by his decision to withdraw Kolo Muani with over 20 minutes remaining. Djibril Sow attempted to add his name to the scoresheet with a powerful strike that rattled the woodwork. An offside flag ruled out Niclas Füllkrug’s stoppage-time strike, ensuring the hosts kept a clean sheet for a third consecutive Bundesliga home game. The result leaves sixth-placed Frankfurt two points adrift of the top-four, while Bremen remain in midtable.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt)