Bundesliga debutant Aymen Barkok’s last-minute strike saw Eintracht Frankfurt join the host of teams on 21 points, as they came from behind to beat Werder Bremen 2-1. Florian Grillitsch had given Bremen a well-deserved half-time lead, but Alexander Meier’s equaliser in the 52nd minute sparked the turnaround, as the visitors extended their unbeaten run to six.
Earlier on in the day, Hamburger SV showed signs of life in their battle for Bundesliga survival as they drew 2-2 in TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, picking up their third point of the season. They went in front through Filip Kostic before Sandro Wagner and Steven Zuber turned the game on its head, but Nicolai Müller rescued a point for the struggling visitors. Hoffenheim then missed a host of chances to claim all three points, with Andrej Kramaric the main culprit, but Hamburg clung on.
The results brought both Frankfurt’s and Hoffenheim’s points tallies to 21, also level with Dortmund, Köln and Hertha BSC, while Hamburg remain rooted to the bottom of the table, four points off the relegation play-off position occupied by Werder Bremen, who have seven.
Frankfurt’s substitutes see off Bremen
Both Max Kruse and Claudio Pizarro were named in the Werder Bremen starting line-up after coming back from long-term injuries, injecting more belief into the Green-Whites’ play as they formed a three-pronged attack with Serge Gnabry. Kruse in particular put in a dynamic performance, giving the Frankfurt defensive line headaches as the home side dominated the first half..
After squandering a series of chances, Werder finally got their goal when Niklas Moisander played a long ball from in his own half towards Grillitsch. Bastian Oczipka and the Frankfurt defence gave the Austrian midfielder too much space, and he made them pay with a powerful effort into the top left-hand corner.
Frankfurt coach Niko Kovac acted decisively at half-time, sending on Meier. Eintracht’s leading marksman needed only a few minutes to draw his side level with his second touch of the game, when he beat Werder keeper Felix Wiedwald from a tight angle with a shot into the far corner.
The goal sparked the visitors into life, with Wiedwald making a pair of fine saves to twice deny Meier a second goal in the space of just a few minutes, before Theodor Gebre Selassie pulled off an even more dramatic last-ditch block when he got back quickly to clear Branimir Hrgota’s close-range shot off the line.
Werder did manage to get a foothold back in the game and almost stole a winner when Pizarro’s shot was tipped over by Lukas Hradecky in the Frankfurt goal. But then came the moment for Barkok. 15 minutes after his introduction, the 18-year-old produced a delightful curling effort from 18 metres out to secure all three points for his team.
Hamburg hold Hoffenheim to draw
Bundesliga debutant Aymen Barkok’s last-minute strike saw Eintracht Frankfurt join the host of teams on 21 points, as they came from behind to beat Werder Bremen 2-1. Florian Grillitsch had given Bremen a well-deserved half-time lead, but Alexander Meier’s equaliser in the 52nd minute sparked the turnaround, as the visitors extended their unbeaten run to six.
Earlier on in the day, Hamburger SV showed signs of life in their battle for Bundesliga survival as they drew 2-2 in TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, picking up their third point of the season. They went in front through Filip Kostic before Sandro Wagner and Steven Zuber turned the game on its head, but Nicolai Müller rescued a point for the struggling visitors. Hoffenheim then missed a host of chances to claim all three points, with Andrej Kramaric the main culprit, but Hamburg clung on.
The results brought both Frankfurt’s and Hoffenheim’s points tallies to 21, also level with Dortmund, Köln and Hertha BSC, while Hamburg remain rooted to the bottom of the table, four points off the relegation play-off position occupied by Werder Bremen, who have seven.
Frankfurt’s substitutes see off Bremen
Both Max Kruse and Claudio Pizarro were named in the Werder Bremen starting line-up after coming back from long-term injuries, injecting more belief into the Green-Whites’ play as they formed a three-pronged attack with Serge Gnabry. Kruse in particular put in a dynamic performance, giving the Frankfurt defensive line headaches as the home side dominated the first half..
After squandering a series of chances, Werder finally got their goal when Niklas Moisander played a long ball from in his own half towards Grillitsch. Bastian Oczipka and the Frankfurt defence gave the Austrian midfielder too much space, and he made them pay with a powerful effort into the top left-hand corner.
Frankfurt coach Niko Kovac acted decisively at half-time, sending on Meier. Eintracht’s leading marksman needed only a few minutes to draw his side level with his second touch of the game, when he beat Werder keeper Felix Wiedwald from a tight angle with a shot into the far corner.
The goal sparked the visitors into life, with Wiedwald making a pair of fine saves to twice deny Meier a second goal in the space of just a few minutes, before Theodor Gebre Selassie pulled off an even more dramatic last-ditch block when he got back quickly to clear Branimir Hrgota’s close-range shot off the line.
Werder did manage to get a foothold back in the game and almost stole a winner when Pizarro’s shot was tipped over by Lukas Hradecky in the Frankfurt goal. But then came the moment for Barkok. 15 minutes after his introduction, the 18-year-old produced a delightful curling effort from 18 metres out to secure all three points for his team.
Hamburg hold Hoffenheim to draw
In front of 30,000 supporters at the Wirsol Rhein-Neckar-Arena, the early stages of Sunday’s other fixture seemed to suggest that Hamburg would be on the receiving end of another heavy defeat, as their hosts Hoffenheim seized the upper hand, but Kramaric missed a trio of gilt-edged opportunities to break the deadlock.
When the opening goal eventually game in the 28th minute, it was against the run of play, as Kostic won the ball and played a quick exchange with Lewis Holtby, before firing through the keeper’s legs. The last-ditch attempt to clear from Niklas Süle came just a moment too late.
But the home side deservedly got themselves back on level terms on the stroke of half time when Sandro Wagner slotted home from Kerem Demirbay’s corner. They doubled their money just four minutes after the break when Steven Zuber volleyed Kramaric’s cross past Christian Mathenia and into the back of the net.
Hoffenheim continued to press in search of a decisive third goal, but instead let their lead slip with a defensive error just after the hour mark. Süle gave the ball away to Matthias Ostrozolek, who started a move that ended with Holtby’s cross being finished off by Müller to make it 2-2.
There was still time for TSG to threaten a late winner, but Kramaric let another two opportunities pass him by, allowing the visitors to pick up only their third point of the Bundesliga campaign so far.
