Frankfurt’s recent woes in the Bundesliga continued with a 2-1 home defeat to Freiburg on Sunday. Late in the game, Hamburg secured a hard-earned but vital victory over Hertha Berlin.
Relegation-threatened Hamburg and a Hertha side chasing European football both needed the points for very different reasons. And the game began in lively fashion with end-to-end football played at high tempo. After their 8-0 thrashing in Munich last week, Hamburg had some making up to do in front of their own fans. And they created the better chances. First Lewis Holtby and then Nicolai Müller forced good saves from Hertha keeper Rune Jarstein. The visitors were unable to carve out any meaningful opportunities and were probably the happier of the two sides to go into the dressing rooms with the score still goalless.
US international Bobby Wood (center) was at the heart of Hamburg's attacksImage: Getty Images/Bongarts/M. Rose
The game slowed down somewhat after the break, with both sides seemingly content to wait for the other to make a mistake. Play was concentrated in midfield and on the rare occasion space opened up, the final ball was sorely lacking. Hertha dominated possession but never forced Rene Adler into action. Hamburg then took the lead with just over a quarter-of-an-hour remaining. Good work by Bobby Wood set up Aaron Hunt, whose low first-time cross found Albin Ekdal ten yards out. The Swede stuck out a right boot under pressure and found the top corner to register his first goal for Hamburg. With time running out, Hertha appeared unwilling to risk anything in search of an equalizer. Hamburg held on for a hard-earned but deserved victory and three vital points in the battle to beat the drop.
Chances were few and far between in a hard-fought matchImage: picture alliance/CITYPRESS 24/M. Taeger
Following three straight Bundesliga defeats, Eintracht Frankfurt were looking to capitalize on their victory in the cup midweek and get their league campaign back on track. In the tentative opening stages, Eintracht proved more effective at carving out chances and took the lead with barely ten minutes played. A long clearance by Michael Hector eventually landed at the feet of Branimir Hrgota, who bided his time before slotting the ball past Alexander Schwolow in the Freiburg goal.
Frankfurt got off to the perfect start with an early opener from Branimir HrgotaImage: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Grimm
But it was the visitors who played the better football, passing the ball around neatly and looking more inventive. They got their reward a short while after falling behind. An incisive through ball by Nicolas Höfler split the Frankfurt defence wide open. Florian Niderlechner raced clear and kept his cool to round the keeper and equalize.
Eintracht thought they had taken the lead once more when Rebic headed home from a corner, but the goal was disallowed. Midfielder Mijat Gacinovic was ruled to have impeded Schwolow in the build-up. A very physical aspect started to characterize Frankfurt's play in the run-up to half-time as they frequently operated on the fringes of the rulebook. The fans, and coach Niko Kovac in particular, felt aggrieved at their treatment as tempers started to flare.
Florian Niederlechner (pictured left) proved the matchwinner with a well-taken braceImage: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Grimm
Their sense of injustice grew further still after the break as Freiburg took the lead. Following some sensational link-up play with Maik Frantz, Vicenzo Grifo threaded the ball through to Niederlechner. The striker lobbed Lukas Hradecky to double his tally in the match, but Frankfurt felt he did so from an offside position.
Niko Kovac brought Barkok, Tarashaj and Meier as Frankfurt looked to attack more directly rather than from the flanks. But it proved to no avail. Freiburg kept their shape and it was only from set-pieces that Frankfurt threatened. In the end, Freiburg were very good value for the three points that propel them towards the race for Europe.
Bundesliga Matchday 23: In pictures
Bayern Munich extended their lead at the top of the table with a comfortable 3-0 over Cologne, while Dortmund, Hoffenheim and Bremen also won. The top images from Matchday 23 in the Bundesliga.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/F. Gambarini
A stunner from Stafylidis
Augsburg took the lead and then came from behind to hold high-flying RB Leipzig to an entertaining 2-2 draw in Bavaria on Friday evening, as Bundesliga Matchday 23 got underway. Left-back Konstantinos Stafylidis put the hosts in front with a stunning long-range strike but Leipzig striker Timo Werner quickly drew the hosts level.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/S. Puchner
Hinteregger's revenge
Leipzig defender Marvin Compper gave the visitors the lead from a corner just after half-time but Augsburg defender Martin Hinteregger, who in summer turned down a move from Red Bull Salzburg to their Leipzig-based sister team in protest at the company's transfer policy, battled through the defense to force home an equalizer. Timo Werner missed a late chance for the visitors.
Image: picture alliance/SvenSimon/F. Hoermann
Bayern on the march
Bayern Munich are hitting form at just the right time, following up their recent league and cup successes (8-0 vs Hamburg and 3-0 vs Schalke) with a comfortable 3-0 win over Cologne. Goals from defenders Javi Martinez and Juan Bernat gave the champions a cushion before Franck Ribery finished off the scoring in injury time.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/R. Weihrauch
Aubameyang breaks Lewandowski's record
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored his 74th and 75th Bundesliga goals for Borussia Dortmund to eclipse the tally of his illustrious predecessor Robert Lewandowski - and it took him 14 fewer games! The Gabonese hitman was criticised for his wastefulness in front of goal when Dortmund lost to Benfica in the Champions League but has now scored four in his last two games.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/M. Rose
Injury misery for Reus
Marco Reus has been ruled out of Borussia Dortmund's Champions League last-16 second-leg tie against Benfica on Wednesday night after suffering a suspected hamstring injury. The Black and Yellows will have to do without their playmaker as they look to overturn a one goal deficit from the first leg.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/F. Gentsch
Hit for six!
After conceding four against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and two at home to Mainz in the Bundesliga last week, Bayer Leverkusen's sloppy defending has now cost them another six goals away at Borussia Dortmund. No team in the league has conceded more goals from set-pieces than Roger Schmidt's men.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/B. Thissen
Individual quality
Leverkusen might be struggling at the back but there is no denying the individual quality which kept Bayer in the game for 75 minutes. Kevin Volland (pictured, right) scored a wonderful solo goal to make it 2-1 just after half-time before a well-placed free-kick from Wendell made it 3-2 to give the Werkself hope - but they collapsed defensively in the final 15 minutes.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/L. Baron
Gomez among the goals
Mario Gomez scored in all of Andries Joncker's five games as interim manager of Bayern Munich in 2011 and the veteran striker scored in the Dutchman's first game in the Wolfsburg hot seat this weekend - his seventh goal of the season in the Bundesliga.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Scheuber
Super-sub Kramaric
Ingolstadt were the better team for long periods in Hoffenheim but Julian Nagelsmann used his squad to full effect as the hosts fought their way to a flattering 5-2 victory. Andrej Kramaric (pictured) came off the bench to score Hoffenheim's third and set up their fourth in the space of two minutes.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/D. Kopatsch
Kruse at the double
Forward Max Kruse (pictured) struck twice in the second half as Werder Bremen secured all three points in a hard-fought victory over unlucky Darmstadt. Kruse converted from the spot with a quarter of an hour remaining before adding a second in stoppage time.
Image: picture alliance/CITYPRESS 24
Unlucky Darmstadt
New Darmstadt manager Torsten Frings could have seen his side go 2-0 up in the first ten minutes in Bremen as he returned to the stadium where he made over 300 Bundesliga appearances as a player. First, Bremen goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald saved from Aytac Sulu's header before Antonio Colak hit the post.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/C. Jaspersen
Foals soaring under Dieter Hecking
A draw Darmstadt, a loss against Leipzig. Those are the only two Bundesliga games in which Borussia Mönchengladbach have dropped points under new coach Dieter Hecking. Raffael (pictured) has returned to fine form after missing time with an injury, scoring the third goal in Gladbach's 4-2 win over Schalke.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/M. Hitij
Sunshine in the rain
Fabian Johnson (middle) drove the scoring effort from Gladbach. He scored a goal in each half, both one-touch finishes that Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann had little chance of stopping. The rain had no affect on the American's play and his wild hairstyle.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/C. Koepsel
Perfect start
After three straight defeats, Eintracht Frankfurt could not have wished for a better start as they looked to get back on track against Freiburg. Branimir Hrgota gave the Eagles an early lead with a well-taken goal.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Grimm
Double trouble
But Frankfurt's joy was short-lived. Freiburg hit back with two goals from Florian Niederlechner (pictured left) to take all three points. Freiburg played the better football and created the better chances from open play.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Grimm
Stars and stripes
US internationals John-Anthony Brooks (pictured left) of Hertha Berlin and Hamburg's Bobby Wood (center) enjoyed an intense battle during Sunday's late game. In a hard-fought game, Wood's tenacity led to the only goal of the game...
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/M. Rose
Vital winner
...which was scored by Albin Ekdal. The Swede registered his first ever goal for Hamburg to secure victory over Hertha and three crucial points in the battle to escape the relegation zone.
