Eugen Polanski netted a brace as Hoffenheim increased ten-man Hamburg's relegation woes with a 3-0 win in Sinsheim
Eugen Polanski netted a brace as Hoffenheim increased ten-man Hamburg's relegation woes with a 3-0 win in Sinsheim
Big wins for Hoffenheim, Mainz and Frankfurt on Saturday
Cologne - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, 1. FSV Mainz 05 and Eintracht Frankfurt were all able to celebrate big wins this Saturday with Hamburger SV, FC Augsburg and SC Paderborn on the receiving end.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 3-0 Hamburger SV
bundesliga.com rounds up Saturday's action around the grounds...
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim got the better of ten-man Hamburg to edge ever closer to the top six with a 3-0 win at the Wirsol Rhein-Neckar-Arena.
Eugen Polanski put Markus Gisdol's men in front from the penalty spot after Jaroslav Drobny was given his marching orders, and it was the former Mainz midfielder who struck again to make it two before Sebastian Rudy completed the scoring.
Red card, penalty and Hamburg's hopes ended
Hamburg were left with a mountain to climb after only 20 minutes when Drobny pulled Sven Schipplock down inside the area, giving away a penalty and also earning himself a red card. Rene Adler came on with Mohamed Gouaida sacrificed, but although he got his hand to Polanski's effort, he could not keep it out. With a man less, Hamburg could not craft any chances as Hoffenheim controlled proceedings, albeit without creating any clear-cut openings.
Hamburg showed a few glimpses of life early in the second half, but the hosts dampened their spirits late on with two goals in six minutes sealing their win. Polanski added the second with a shot through the legs of Dennis Diekmeier into the right-hand corner before Volland unselfishly set up Rudy to net with the outside of his boot to take Hoffenheim to within two points of the top six.
Line-ups and statistics
FC Augsburg 0-2 1. FSV Mainz 05
1. FSV Mainz 05 eased their relegation concerns with two goals made in the Far East in a 2-0 win at FC Augsburg.
Japan's Shinji Okazaki got the first for Martin Schmidt's men before South Korea's Ja-Cheol Koo ended Augsburg's hopes late on to deal his former club's hopes of playing in Europe next season a blow.
Far East double for Mainz
Both sides were clearly determined to win in an end-to-end encounter, although the attacks tended to break down before either goalkeeper was called on to intervene. The hosts were looking the livelier, but it was Mainz who took the lead after half an hour when Okazaki gave them a 1-0 advantage for the fifth time this season, pinging his shot into the far corner of Marwin Hitz's goal. Daniel Baier made a mistake in the run-up to that goal and he tried to make amends with a long-range effort, which was not enough even to test Loris Karius.
After Raul Bobadilla had got closer on the stroke off half-time, Augsburg came out fighting in the second half, and Bobadilla should have scored but was unable to get the ball under control with the goal at his mercy. The hosts were understandably doing all of the attacking, but there were still plenty of chances at the other end with Yunus Malli denied by Hitz. One of those breaks resulted in a second goal for the guests with Koo drilling a powerful shot into the roof of the net with a minute to go.
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Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 SC Paderborn 07
Eintracht Frankfurt produced a dominant display to emerge 4-0 victors over SC Paderborn 07 at the Commerzbank Arena.
The hosts were restricted until the 27th minute, when Bundesliga top-scorer Alexander Meier headed his 19th goal of the season. Marc Stendera, whose cross set up Meier’s opener, capped a fine first-half performance with his side’s second before the break, while in the second period Stefan Aigner was on target before Nelson Valdez celebrated his return from injury with a delicate late chip.
Meier and Stendera shine
Paderborn coach Andre Breitenreiter had demanded pre-match that his side cut out defensive errors and the promoted outfit heeded his message early on, ceding the hosts 70 per cent of possession but no real chances. In the 27th minute, however, Meier, who has opened the scoring more than any other player this season, stooped low to head past Lukas Kruse. The opener was the catalyst for Frankfurt, who created numerous opportunities before Stendera deservedly doubled the lead three minutes before the break.
In an effort to wrest the momentum away from Frankfurt, Breitenreiter introduced Elias Kachunga and Srdjan Lakic up top. While the duo offered a physical outlet, the hosts underlined their dominance when Aigner, in acres of space, calmly stroked home in the 55th minute. Although Lakic and Meha came close late on, it was subsitute Valdez’s wonderful chipped effort in the 82nd minute which ensured the hosts crowned a perfect day.
Line-ups and statistics
