Werder Bremen suffered their second defeat in a row. The Green-Whites were beaten 2-0 (1-0) by Eintracht Frankfurt, who are in the last sixteen of the Champions League, in front of 48,000 spectators. SVW captain Marco Friedl started the defeat with an unfortunate own goal (7’). A few minutes after the restart, SGE’s prolific goal-scorer Randal Kolo Muani cemented the host’s victory (52’). Werder now drop to tenth in the Bundesliga with 27 points.
Squad news: Captain Marco Friedl returned to the starting eleven after serving a yellow card suspension, replacing Amos Pieper. Romano Schmid also made his comeback after his ligament tear, playing on the right. Ilia Gruev and Niklas Schmidt were also given the chance to start in midfield. Mitchell Weiser (ankle), Leonardo Bittencourt (suspended) and Christian Groß (ill) were absent.
Starting eleven: Pavlenka – Veljkovic, Stark, Friedl – Schmid, Gruev, Jung – Schmidt, Stage – Füllkrug, Duksch
The bench: Zetterer – Pieper, Philipp, Salifou, Dinkci, Buchanan, Dietrich, Berger, Chiarodia.
Highlights from the first half:
7th minute: Goal, 1-0 Frankfurt, Marco Friedl (OG). Max puts the ball to the back post, where Jakic has crept in and can cross into the six-yard box. The ball unfortunately comes off Captain Marco Friedl into his own goal.
12th minute: Götze picks out Kamada, who has run from deep, and he runs directly at Pavlenka’s goal, but under pressure loses balance and scoops the ball over the net.
28th minute: Max carries the ball on the left half of the pitch and finds Knauff in the penalty area, whose header is caught well by Pavlenka, who was positioned right.
39th minute: Lindstrøm’s corner from the right comes quickly into the six-yard box, where N’dicka rises highest but heads over.
45th+1 minute: Lindstrøm starts the play and sets up Max on the left-hand side, who immediately plays the ball sharply into the penalty area, where Götze manages a back-heel to create a great chance for Lindstrøm, but the Dane shoots over the crossbar from twelve yards.
45th+3 minute: Half time in Frankfurt. The hosts deserve to be ahead.
Highlights from the second half:
52nd minute: Goal, 2-0 Frankfurt, Randal Kolo Muani. First Pavlenka excellently saves Kolo Muani’s header off a Max cross, but Knauff keeps the ball in play, lifts it back into the six-yard box, where Kolo Muani only needs to tap it over the line.
66th minute: Füllkrug comes with momentum down the right-hand side towards the by-line and plays the ball back. Ducksch misses the ball, but Jung takes a shot from 15 yards and it is blocked well.
77th minute: Sow has space in the centre and uses it to take a long shot, which Pavlenka is able to parry.
84th minute: Pavlenka prevents Bremen from going 3-0 down with a brilliant save against Sow’s shot from close range.
90th minute: The visitor’s have their best chance so far, as Dinkci picks up the pace on the right and finds Füllkrug, but his header flies over the crossbar under pressure from Knauff.
90th+1 minute: That would have been the glimmer of hope! Dinkci plays a perfect through ball to Füllkrug, who finishes from 15 yards, but it was offside.
90th+4 minute: It remains 2-0 to Eintracht. Referee Dankert blows the whistle.
Summary: Werder were caught flat-footed by the hosts; the powerful Frankfurt team pressed hard and barely allowed Werder to catch their breath, especially in the first quarter of an hour. Friedl’s unlucky own goal played right into the hands of SGE. Although the Green-Whites were soon dominant in possession, Eintracht were very well organised at the back. Nevertheless, for long stretches of the game, the visitors were simply unable to unpick the opposition’s defence. Kolo Muani’s tap-in shortly after the restart did the rest. It was not until the final period that Werder players were able to give Niclas Füllkrug some service, but the resurgence was too late.
