Josh Sargent was Werder Bremen's match-winner as the USMNT striker helped his club end Eintracht Frankfurt's 11-game unbeaten run with a 2-1 victory on Friday to boost his team's survival bid and deal a major and unexpected blow to the Eagles' ambitions of a top-four finish.

Werder Bremen 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Goals: 0-1 Silva (9') 1-1 Gebre Selassie (47'), 2-1 Sargent (62')

Frankfurt were looking for a positive result against a Bremen side that was winless in three in order to leapfrog Wolfsburg and move into third place in the table. Andre Silva glancing a header in off the far post was the ideal start, and but for a Jiri Pavlenka save, the Portugal international would have added another soon after. But Frankfurt, who had scored twice in each of their previous 11 league games, then curiously went quiet and Milot Rashica took centre stage. After forcing a shaky save from Kevin Trapp with a free-kick, the Bremen man rattled the crossbar with a curling effort. Sargent would have given Bremen a deserved equaliser before the break only for the offside flag to rule his effort out after Trapp had diverted a Rashica shot into the USMNT striker's path.

There was also an offside flag raised when Theodor Gebre Selassie slotted the ball into the far corner just two minutes after the break. The Czech Republic full-back and Bremen captain had latched onto a sublime Rashica ball, and VAR finally vindicated the timing of his run in behind the visiting backline. VAR was needed again when Maximilian Eggestein slipped a pass into the feet of Sargent, who immediately looked to the assistant referee after firing beyond Trapp - a check showed he had only been close to being offside. A near-post Sargent blast was shovelled behind by Trapp and the American then set up Romano Schmid for a goal that was again ruled out for offside as Bremen - who saw Pavlenka save from Filip Kostic and Silva in the closing stages - seriously upset the Bundesliga form book.

Match stats

• Silva has scored seven times in his last five league games. He's the first Frankfurt player to enjoy such a streak in consecutive matches since Sebastien Haller in 2018.
• All seven of Gebre Selassie's Bundesliga goals have come at home for Bremen.
• Silva has now scored in all four of his Bundesliga meetings with Bremen.
• Sargent now has three league goals, and is just one shy of the career-best four he netted last season.
• Frankfurt had scored at least twice in their last 11 Bundesliga matches in a row. Twelve would have been a new club record.

Watch: Sargent: "Three points is huge for us"

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Line-ups

Bremen: Pavlenka - Veljkovic, Toprak, Friedl - Gebre Selassie (c), Eggestein, Möhwald (Groß 90+5'), Agu - Schmid (Bittencourt 79'), Rashica (Mbom 86') - Sargent (Füllkrug 79')
Unused subs: Dos Santos, Moisander, Osako, Selke, Dinkci
Out: Augustinsson (thigh), Erras (muscular), Plogmann (knee)
Coach: Florian Kohfeldt 

Frankfurt: Trapp - Tuta, Hasebe (c), Hinteregger - Durm (Barkok 65'), Sow, Rode (Hrustic 65'), Kostic - Kamada (Jovic 65'), Younes - Silva
Unused subs: Schubert, Toure, Ilsanker, Zuber, Chandler, Ache
Out: N'Dicka (suspended)
Coach: Adi Hütter

About the clubs

Eintracht Frankfurt

Deutsche Bank Park

SV Werder Bremen

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