Frankfurt and Bremen held; Freiburg beat Köln
Cologne - SC Freiburg and Hannover 96 both notched vital results in the relegation dogfight, while SV Werder Bremen's hopes of place in Europe suffered a setback on Matchday 27.
Eintracht Frankfurt 2-2 Hannover 96
bundesliga.com rounds up the Saturday afternoon action in the German top flight...
Hannover 96 came back from two goals down to rescue a 2-2 draw away to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Goals from Alexander Madlung and Stefan Aigner seemed to put Frankfurt on the road to victory at the Commerzbank Arena, but Tayfun Korkut's charges fought back courtesy of strikes from Marcelo and Didier Ya Konan.
Ya Konan to the rescue
Hoping to bounce back from three consecutive defeats, Hannover started into the game well enough, dominating possession despite clear-cut opportunities proving difficult to come by at both ends. Yet it was the home side who broke the deadlock, Madlung heading home Bastian Oczipka's pinpoint cross after 27 minutes. Leading Bundesliga scorer Alexander Meier came close to doubling the lead a little later, forcing Ron-Robert Zieler into a brilliant save from a free kick.
Sonny Kittel was at the heart of most of Eintracht's promising action, and the 19-year-old midfielder did well to set up Haris Seferovic shortly after the restart, the Swiss frontman seeing his 20-yard effort fly just wide. Ya Konan, on his first start since rejoining Hannover in the winter, tested Kevin Trapp shortly after, but it was Aigner who did better at the other end, slotting the ball into an open net to double the hosts' lead. Marcelo gave Hannover hope after slotting in from close range, however, and the 96ers' saw their late rally pay dividends thanks to Ya Konan's strike seven minutes from time.
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SC Freiburg 1-0 1. FC Köln
Freiburg - SC Freiburg earned three priceless points in the battle against the drop after beating fellow strugglers 1. FC Köln 1-0 at home.As was perhaps to be expected in a relegation six-pointer, goalmouth action was replaced by full-blooded challenges in midfield, with Mike Frantz’s first-half goal all that separated the sides come the final whistle.
Freiburg breathe easier
The torrential rain made conditions under foot tricky in the south-west, but it was the visitors who adapted quickest, settling into their customary counterattacking tactics with ease, allowing Freiburg to come forward before looking to exploit Anthony Ujah’s pace and power on the break. However, the hosts clawed their way back into the game and went in front when Frantz headed home Oliver Sorg’s right-wing cross.
That forced Köln to be more adventurous after the break but Freiburg were unable to make the most of the increasing gaps that appeared in the opposition half. Indeed, the best chances at both ends of the pitch came from dead-ball situations, but robust defending prevented any more goals being scored. The hosts seemed visibly relieved come the final whistle, recording a second successive victory to earn some breathing room in the relegation battle.
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SV Werder Bremen 0-0 1. FSV Mainz 05
SV Werder Bremen were held to a goalless draw by 1. FSV Mainz 05 at the Weserstadion.
The northern German side enjoyed the majority of chances, but failed to get the better of the resilient visitors.
Dominant hosts
Werder started into the game full of purpose, bossing the rhythm in the opening stages against the deep-lying 05ers. It was the guests who had the game's first chances, though, Mainz top scorer Shinji Okazaki volleying wide from inside the area, before Yunus Malli failed to beat Raphael Wolf one-on-one. Jannick Vestergaard tested Loris Karius in the Mainz goal, before Franco Di Santo shot wide.
The hosts remained the dominant side also after the break. Zlatko Junuzovic looked particularly lively after coming on on the hour mark, Di Santo heading the Austrian midfielder's fine cross wide minutes later. Levent Aycicek came closest to giving the Green-Whites the win with only Karius to beat from the edge of the six-yard box, but Mainz held on to secure a vital point in Bremen.
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