The Bundesliga league leader is still Werder Bremen. On the 16th match day of the season, the Green-Whites bulldozed Eintract Frankfurt to run out 2:6 (1:3) winners.
The Bundesliga league leader is still Werder Bremen. On the 16th match day of the season, the Green-Whites bulldozed Eintract Frankfurt to run out 2:6 (1:3) winners.
The Bundesliga league leader is still Werder Bremen. On the 16th match day of the season, the Green-Whites bulldozed Eintract Frankfurt to run out 2:6 (1:3) winners. In front of 48,000 at the Commerzbank Arena, Werder notched up six away goals for the third time this season thanks to goals from Naldo (3’, 31’, 48’), Daniel Jensen (11’), Jurica Vranjes (86’) and Diego (90’). Marco Russ (4’) and Sotirios Krygiakos (81’) got the goals for Frankfurt, who for the sixth time in a row, failed to take a single point from a match against Thomas Schaaf’s men.
The Werder coach made two changes to the side which was beaten 2:0 in Barcelona on Tuesday night. Christian Schulz got the nod as left full-back ahead of Pierre Womé while up front, Ivan Klasnic made his first start since the second match day of the season, taking the place of Hugo Almeida.
Breakneck beginning
The Croatian striker played a major part in Werder’s lightening start. Klasnic took on a pass from Naldo , and strongly held off his marker before sliding a perfectly waited pass between Frankfurt’s Russ, Marko Rehmer and Patrick Ochs to the still forward pressing Brazilian defender. Naldo kept his cool in the area and slotted the ball comfortably past the keeper from 13 meters to make it 1:0 for Werder (3’). Frankfurt’s answer was instant. From a free-kick swung in long by Albert Streits from the left, Russ rose ahead of Tim Wiese on the edge of the six yard box to pull the home side back level (4’).
The equaliser lifted the Hessen side and the next chance of the game fell to Alex Meier who came to a fairly free header but couldn’t keep his effort on target (7’). Then Naohiro Takahara flicked the ball over his own head, and the heads of Schultz and Clemens Fritz in the box but then sliced his subsequent shot and allowed Wiese a chance to clear. With Frankfurt in control, Werder’s next goal came as something of a shock. Klasnic unorthodoxly laid the ball off to Diego who poked the ball through to Daniel Jensen. The Dane pushed the ball over the line to give Werder the lead again (11’). It wasn’t until Werder’s third that the game, which the visitors were taking more control of, began to settle.
It was Naldo again who struck for the third as the Frankfurt defence poorly attempted to play off-side from a Torsten Frings free-kick. The Brazilian burst through from eight meters out to powerfully head home, well out of the reach of keeper Pröll (31’). It was Werder’s third stiker on goal and their third goal – 100% effectivity. The Frankfurt keeper was able to make his first save in the 34th minute from a Per Mertsacker header. Frankfurt only looked threatening with two Streit free-kicks before the break. The first was flicked on by Takahara to Kyrgiakos. The Greek put the ball in the net but was standing in an off-side position and the referee disallowed the goal (40’). The second free-kick was a direct attempt on goal by Streit which Tim Wiese was equal to (44’).
Naldo ruins Eintracht hopes
Instead of Frankfurt making their way back into the tie, it was Werder who pretty much sealed the deal right after the break. Naldo stepped up again to hammer a 22 meter free-kick inside the far right post to make it 4:1 for the Green-Whites (48’). Pröll denied Schulz who his a shot powerfully goal wards but with the three goal cushion, Werder took a back seat and allowed Eintracht to come at them. During this period, Wiese was tested by bouncing, bobbling efforts by Benjamin Köhler (58’) and Ochs (60’). Takahara headed wide of the mark from just eight meters (66’) before Wiese was able to display his ability again saving from Streit (68’/ 73’) and the Japanese international again (78’).
The keeper had no chance of stopping Kyrgiakos’ header which made it 2:4 in the 81st minute after a Streit corner. Frankfurt knew that they could only throw everything into attack and were typically punished by Werder’s counter attacks. Pröll got a foot out to make a save from Miroslav Klose, who had been put through by Diego, but the loose ball fell directly to the feet of substitute Jurica Vranjes who slotted home to make it 2:5 (86’). Ivan Klasnic sliced an effort in the 89th before, in the 90th, Diego took on a Frings past and buried into the bottom left corner to make the final score 2:6. Again Werder with six away goals and clear sight of the winter title in the Bundesliga.
Johnnie Muldoon
