25th matchday
Victory on the 125th anniversary: Eintracht on course for Europe
Frankfurt’s Mario Götze (2nd from left) made the decision 3-1 with his goal. photo
© Arne Dedert/dpa
Eintracht Frankfurt wins the duel between their table neighbors in the Bundesliga 3-1 and stays at the top. Two sendings deprive Hoffenheim of all chances.
Robin Koch (32nd minute), Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe (50th) and Mario Götze (64th) scored the goals for the Hessians, who had been in the majority for a long time, in front of 57,000 spectators. John Anthony Brooks (6th) scored early for the guests, who only finished the game with nine. The goalscorer was shown a red card in the 22nd minute because of an emergency stop against Eintracht striker Omar Marmoush. In the final phase, Ozan Kabak (78th) also had to leave the field with a yellow-red card.
Thanks to the well-deserved victory, Frankfurt, who have now been unbeaten in five Bundesliga games, cemented sixth place in the table with 40 points, which is definitely enough to qualify for international competition. The lead over seventh-placed TSG is now seven points.
A dynamic start to unity
“It’s something very special today for everyone who supports Eintracht. We want to do our part to ensure that we have something to celebrate after the game,” said Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller before kick-off on DAZN with Blick on the club’s birthday and the second anniversary of the death of Eintracht legend Jürgen Grabowski.
The home team, for whom Dina Ebimbe had the early 1-0 lead, got off to a correspondingly energetic start. The winger was denied by TSG goalkeeper Oliver Baumann after a beautiful solo effort. Hoffenheim hardly recorded any offensive actions, but were efficient in front of the goal. After a corner from Anton Stach, Brooks headed in to give the visitors the lead.
Frankfurt was unimpressed and continued to run. The striking Dina Ebimbe missed the equalizer twice. In the middle of the first half, the Hessians increased the pressure with the majority and were rewarded for their efforts. After preparatory work by Marmoush, defense chief Koch, who is hoping for his comeback to the national team, scored with a well-placed low shot from a good 16 meters.
Frankfurt’s waves of attacks are rewarded
A little later, the home team was lucky that Fares Chaibi, who had already been booked, didn’t see yellow and red after another foul. Toppmöller reacted immediately and brought on Ansgar Knauff for the offensive player.
Even after the change, Hoffenheim fought back with one man less, but was hardly able to provide any relief. Frankfurt launched one wave of attacks after the other and achieved success shortly after the restart. Dina Ebimbe headed a soulful cross from 2014 world champion Götze into the net.
A little later, Götze crowned his good performance when he placed the ball in the corner following Knauff’s preparatory work. The game was practically decided. Eintracht only did what was necessary, TSG, being twice as outnumbered, was only trying to limit the damage.