Werder Bremen – Eintracht Frankfurt 3:3 (1:1)
Eintracht Frankfurt started the second half of the season in the Bundesliga with a 3:3 (1:1) draw at Werder Bremen. New signing Arnaud Kalimuendo gave Frankfurt the lead after less than 60 seconds. Justin Njinmah (29th minute) equalized for the hosts before half-time. Nnamdi Collins’ Frankfurt goal (56′) was countered by Jens Stage (78′) and shortly afterwards Jovan Milošević (80′). Ansgar Knauff (90+5) made the final score.
The hosts needed some time to find their way into the game after conceding an early goal. Frankfurt concentrated on stabilizing their recently shaky defense and fell far behind. When Bremen became more offensive, the guests could hardly get out of their own half. In the end it was still enough for a draw.
Both Bremen and Eintracht entered the game tensely after their recent negative experiences. The coaches reacted differently: During Bremen Horst Steffen trusted his starting eleven from the 3-0 defeat in Dortmund, Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller changed to four positions after the 3-2 defeat in Stuttgart. Kalimuendo was signed on loan from Nottingham Forest at the beginning of January. Eintracht also secured a purchase option.
The draw in front of 41,800 spectators neither helps Bremen in the relegation battle nor Frankfurt in the fight for a place in the European Cup. “We’re all biting ourselves in the ass. That’s definitely two lost points,” Frankfurt’s Collins told the TV channel Sky. At the same time, he was optimistic: “We’ll get through this together.”
