Weder Bremen 0 – 3 Eintracht Frankfurt
03/06/20
Archie Macpherson’s famous Scottish phrase was fitting for a scrappy midweek encounter between Bremen and Frankfurt. One wondered what would happen between the team that had averaged conceding three goals a game in their last ten and a team which had mustered only a goal every two. What occurred was a low quality match-up with Bremen conceding three goals in the closing stages.
Andre Silva bagged his eighth Bundesliga goal of the season while the remaining scores came from substitute midfielder Stefan Ilsanker who got two in ten minutes to leave Bremen second from bottom of the league.
Frankfurt dominated the opening stages, winger Mijat Gacinovic drawing a booking for Green-White veteran Fin Bartels within two minutes.
Bremen coach Florian Kohfeldt said before the game his side would endure a physical encounter against Frankfurt and so it proved with plenty of tasty challenges administered around the park.
Bremen winger Yoya Osako called for a yellow card when he felt he had been hit in the eye while making a run down the wing before Frankfurt hardman Martin Hinteregger got himself into the referee’s book for a late challenge.
The best chance of the opening quarter fell to Davy Klassen who ran onto a ball from twenty yards and skewered his shot towards Kevin Trapp’s goal but the Frankfurt keeper kept it out with a sprawling fingertip save to his left.
As a the game wore on it started to resemble more of a bare knuckle fist fight between two desperate competitors which made sense considering Werder Bremen’s perilous position in the league and Frankfurt’s disappointing season.
Bremen carved out a chance on twenty-three minutes for striker Davie Selke who played the offside trap perfectly but his weak finish was easily saved by the feet of Trapp.
On thirty-six minutes an innocuous high ball in the corner of Frankfurt’s box was challenged by Bremen midfielder Davy Klassen. Klassen came away from a tussle with Frankfurt’s David Abraham calling for a penalty suggesting the bouncing ball caught Abraham’s arm. Patrick Ittrich waved away protests after the always awkward period of consultation with VAR.
Second half Frankfurt carve out deserved win
The most interesting thing to happen in the opening stages of the second half came as the teams emerged from the tunnel. Frankfurt manger Adi Hutter was in vigorous discussion with the referee then went and had a brief altercation with the Weder Bremen bench.
It wasn’t till the hour mark that there was something to report on on the pitch and like London buses (sorry for the metaphor) nothing happens then two incidences come along at once.
In the fifty-eighth minute Frankfurt midfielder Dominik Kohr had a goal disallowed after it was judged he had strayed offside. Then two minutes later Frankfurt broke the deadlock with a powerful header by Andre Silva from six yards. On the balance of play Frankfurt deserved the lead although there were complaints about a foul on Bremen striker Yuya Osaka in the build-up.
No good boxing match is complete without blood spilt and with this match being akin more to some form of rumble in the jungle rather than the beautiful game it wasn’t surprising to see Hinteregger nursing what looked like a broken nose from a collision with team mate Dominik Kohr after both players tried to clear a corner.
Weder Bremen were poor all night long, their performance epitomised by conceding two late goals scored through Frankfurt midfielder Stefan Ilsanker from a corner on eighty minutes and diverting in a freekick on ninety.
Werder Bremen: Pavlenka, Vogt, Osako, Selke, Veljikovic, Moisander, Bartels, Gabre Selassie, Klaassen, Friedl, Eggestein
Subs: Kapino, Augustinsson, Rashica, Bittencourt, Langkamp, Sargent, Grob, Woltemade, Bargfrede
Eintracht Frankfurt: Trapp, Kostic, Gacinovic, Hinteregger, Kamada, Rode, Toure, Abraham, Hasebe, Kohr, Silva
Subs: Ronnon, Ndicka, Ilsanka, De Guzman, Sow, Dost, Chandler, Da Costa, Durm
Goals: Silva 60′, Ilsanker 80′, 90′
Harry Jamshid Reporter Sports Pages 