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August 31, 2024

15:30 Kickoffs: Frankfurt Thrashes Opponents at Home, Stuttgart and Mainz Draw in Six-Goal Thriller – Bundesliga

Although one match ended in a goalless draw, the second round of 15:30 kickoffs in the 2024/25 Bundesliga season saw plenty of goal-scoring excitement. The other four games collectively featured 14 goals.

Eintracht Frankfurt was by far the most impressive of all the top-tier sides in action, dispatching visiting Hoffenheim with a dominant 3-1 home win. A six-goal thriller between VfB Stuttgart and Mainz ended with the two South German sides splitting the difference after two Mainz comebacks. 

Gladbach and Wolfsburg secured their first-season wins with 2-0 triumphs over Bochum and Kiel. Meanwhile, Dortmund and Bremen played a 0-0 stalemate at the Weserstadion.

In a matchup between two Bundesliga teams competing in the 2024/25 Europa League, Dino Toppmöller’s Eintracht Frankfurt returned from a lackluster performance at Dortmund last week. Energized and vibrant, Frankfurt impressed a lively home crowd at Deutsche Bank Park with a standout display from their new attacking trio of Omar Marmoush, Mario Götze, and Hugo Ekitiké, all of whom scored against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Despite their victory over Kiel the previous week, Hoffenheim suffered their first-season loss, with Andrej Kramaric remaining their sole scorer.

Toppmöller Alters Lineup: Nkounkou in, Kristensen and Theate Shifted

Toppmöller made a single adjustment to the lineup that underperformed against Dortmund last week, bringing in Niels Nkounkou to replace Fares Chaibi. This solitary change introduced a significant tactical shift: new summer recruit Rasmussen Kristensen moved up to play as a right wingback alongside Nkounkou. Another summer addition, Arthur Theate, shifted to form a back three with Robin Koch and Tuta. Mario Götze operated in the attacking trio behind Ekitiké and alongside Marmoush.

TSG coach Matarazzo also made a single change to his lineup, though it was necessary. Florian Grillitsch was sidelined due to a muscle injury, prompting the American manager to replace him with former German youth international Dennis Geiger. Grischa Prömel adjusted his position to support Geiger. At the same time, Adam Hlozek and Marius Bülter moved to positions behind last week’s “hat trick hero,” Kramaric. Consequently, both teams set up in a 3-4-3 formation.

Toppmöller’s refreshed strategy quickly led to lively, inventive, and engaging football. The hosts from Hessen controlled the ball for most of the first 15 minutes, although they failed to convert several promising opportunities as Hoffenheim stayed compact and well-organized. Ekitiké nearly scored in the 16th minute, hitting the side netting. However, he did find the net in the 24th minute, giving Eintracht a 1-0 lead with a clever hook-touch finish following a well-executed counterattack.

Marmoush Assists Ekitiké, Larsson Scores as Team Leads 2-0

Marmoush, who had assisted Ekitiké’s opening goal, came close to doubling the lead just two minutes later but missed his shot in the 26th minute. In the 33rd minute, it was Ekitiké’s turn to assist, with Marmoush again involved in the build-up. Ekitiké showcased skillful touches in the box before threading a precise pass through TSG defender Kevin Akpoguma’s legs to find the advancing Hugo Larsson for a 2-0 lead. Marmoush almost scored a third goal just before halftime.

Matarazzo responded to the 0-2 halftime deficit by substituting Mërgim Berisha and Robin Hranac instead of Bülter and defender Tim Drexler. The situation appeared to improve, as the Rhine-Neckar visitors had only managed a 0.04 xG by then. These substitutions initially had little impact until Hoffenheim scored against the run of play in the 54th minute. Hlozek exploited some loose marking on the right flank to set up Kramaric for the 1-2 goal.

Eintracht Frankfurt responded quickly. Two minutes later, Ekitiké smartly attracted defenders, allowing Götze to set up the well-deserving Marmoush, who scored the 3-1 goal in the 56th goal. With Marmoush restoring the lead, both teams seemed resigned to the outcome. Numematch’s substitutions and the sweltering Hessen heat slowed the match’s pace, resulting in a more lethargic game. EintracEintracht’s stute, Igor Matanovic, came closest to adding another goal for Frankfurt, nearly scoring six minutes before the end.

In other Bundesliga matches starting at 15:30, a thrilling six-goal encounter unfolded at the MHP-Arena in Stuttgart, where VfB Stuttgart faced off against FSV Mainz 05. The home team, led by Sebastian Hoeneß, quickly surged ahead with a 2-0 advantage over Bo Henriksen’s Mainz. Despite Mainz’s efforts to equalize, they managed to level the score with two goals of their own. Just when it seemed that Mainz’s impressive unbeaten streak, stretching back to last season, might extend to twelve games, Stuttgart struck decisively late in the match, just before the end of regular time.

The standout player for VfB Stuttgart was 22-year-old Fabian Rieder. The summer loan acquisition and unexpected starting center-back Anrie Chase made his Bundesliga debut just last week. Mainz had their dramatic conclusion when young German center-back Maxim Leitsch, who has faced his share of challenges in his career, scored a 3-3 equalizer in stoppage time (90+4). Although Mainz’s Mainz’ sen run continued, it was not without controversy, as there were calls for a handball penalty in the closing moments.

VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach secured 2-0 victories over their opponents, Holstein Kiel and VfL Bochum, respectively. VfL Wolfsburg’s captain Maximilian Arnold contributed a goal and an assist in his team’s triumph, while new Borussia Mönchengladbach signing Tim Kleindienst also provided a goal and an assist, helping his side claim three points in their away match at the Ruhrstadion. Unfortunately, no one found the back of the net in the 0-0 draw between Dortmund and Bremen. Nuri Sahin’s BVB played the final fifteen minutes with only ten men, but Bremen could not capitalize and score in the goalless draw.