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Sports

Bundesliga: Bremen recover to halt Frankfurt's ascent

Michael Da Silva
February 26, 2021

Werder Bremen pulled off a surprise win over the Bundesliga's in-form team Eintracht Frankfurt, who miss the chance to close in on the top two. Josh Sargent emerged as the match winner, grabbing a second half winner.

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Goalscorer Josh Sargent of Werder Bremen is congratulated by team mates Milot Rashica (L), Marco Friedl and Felix Agu
Josh Sargent has only scored three Bundesliga goals this season — two of them have come against FrankfurtImage: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Werder Bremen 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt, Weserstadion
(Gebre Selassie 48', Sargent 62' – Silva 9')

This was a colossal win for Werder Bremen. Keen to prove that the hammering at Hoffenheim last weekend was a blip rather than a retreat to old habits, the team's second half fight back was hugely impressive.

Bremen were led by Josh Sargent, whose talent is undisputed but whose performances for Bremen have been anything but consistent. Against the in-form team in the Bundesliga right now, Sargent fronted an unlikely second half turnaround that keeps Die Grün-Weißen comfortably clear of the danger below them.

Everything seemed to be going so well for Frankfurt. A spring in their step following last week's memorable win over Bayern Munich, it was the visitors who zipped the ball around with confidence. Adi Hütter's side came into the game with five straight wins under its belt and a Bundesliga-leading 22 points from a possible 27 in 2021.

Andre Silva's glancing header put Eintracht Frankfurt ahead in Bremen.
Andre Silva's early glancing header seemed to set Frankfurt on the path to another winImage: Jan Huebner/imago images

The momentum continued with the opener after nine minutes. A short corner allowed Filip Kostic to whip in an inviting cross from the left, and Andre Silva, returning to the team after missing the Bayern game through injury, leapt highest and glanced a header that went in off the post.

Frankfurt's failure to build on its advantage left the door ajar for Bremen, which offered a glimpse of its intentions when Rashica's shot hit the bar. And three minutes after the break, Theodor Gebre Selassie went one further, lashing in a brilliant low shot to level at 1-1, with the goal initially ruled out for offside but overturned by VAR.

Then came Sargent. The 21-year-old Missourian has already played 12 times for the US national team, and his international hit rate of five goals in 12 games is much higher than his Bundesliga total of nine goals from 59 games. But his ninth for Bremen at least proved to be a vital one.

His intelligent run opened up some space on the edge of the box, he was picked out by Max Eggestein, whose marauding run and pass was excellent, and Sargent drilled the ball into the same corner of the net that that Gebre Selassie had found a little earlier. It was only Sargent's third league goal of the season, but the second time he's put one past Frankfurt.

Werder Bremen's players congratulate Josh Sargent for his winner.
Josh Sargent's strike inflicted a first defeat for Eintracht Frankfurt since January 12.Image: Revierfoto/imago images

Bremen even had a couple of marginal offside calls go against them on a night when it did what only three other Bundesliga teams have done this season: beat Frankfurt.

For Sargent, this could be the confidence boost he needs to step up his scoring rate in the Bundesliga. Frankfurt needs to ensure this result is merely an anomaly if it is to continue its unlikely charge for Champions League football — especially with a crunch game against RB Leipzig lurking on the horizon.