In-form André Silva broke the deadlock just after the hour mark before Stefan Ilsanker’s first two Bundesliga goals sealed a huge win that will go a long way to securing Eintracht’s top-flight status.
Personnel: Solitary change
Head coach Adi Hütter made just one change to the team that started in Saturday’s 1-0 win at VfL Wolfsburg, and it was a straight swap with Almamy Toure replacing Timothy Chandler on the right wing.
First half: Tough battle
It was a tight and physical contest from the start, with tackles flying in and referee Patrick Ittrich kept busy. Eintracht fashioned the first goalscoring opportunity when Mijat Gacinovic played in Silva, whose low shot was blocked by Bremen goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka.
The hosts then began to gain more of a foothold in the game, with Kevin Trapp called into action twice – first making an impressive save from Davy Klaassen’s deflected long-range shot, and then smothering an effort from Davie Selke. There was little action of note from then until Fin Bartels’ shot was saved by Trapp in first-half stoppage time.
Second half: Eagles’ aerial prowess prevails
The second 45 minutes started in a similar vein, with most of the play concentrated in midfield and the number of fouls breaking up the game. Dominik Kohr did put the ball in the back of the net in the 58th minute but the goal was disallowed for offside. However, just three minutes later, Eintracht did finally break the deadlock when a typically precise cross from Filip Kostic was met by a powerful header from Silva, who netted his fourth goal in five games since the Bundesliga restart.
Gacinovic nearly made it 2-0 when he fired just wide after a weaving run into the penalty area, but it wasn’t long before the second goal did arrive. Within 17 seconds of coming on, Ilsanker drifted into the penalty area to tap in Kostic’s corner, recording the fastest ever goal by a substitute in the Bundesliga since data collection began. The Austrian repeated the feat in the last minute of normal time, this time heading in from fellow substitute Jonathan de Guzman’s free-kick.
Summary: Goals crown battling performance
Wednesday’s clash wasn’t one for the football purists, but the Eagles showed their rediscovered confidence, togetherness and defensive solidity to keep their first away clean sheet of the campaign. A moment of quality from Silva was the key point, before the substitutes made it a comfortable win in the end.
SGE line-up
Trapp - Abraham, Hasebe, Hinteregger - Toure, Kohr, Rode (Ilsanker 81’), Kostic – Gacinovic (de Guzman 87’), Kamada (Sow 77’) – Silva (Dost 77’)
Goals
Silva 0-1 (61’)
Ilsanker 0-2 (81’)
Ilsanker 0-3 (90’)