Omar Marmoush opened the scoring inside two minutes and notched his sixth Bundesliga goal of the campaign a short while later as an irrepressible Eagles outfit proved too strong for Union Berlin in a one-sided first half. The hosts were much improved after the break, but the Eintracht rearguard held firm, with Nacho Ferri sealing the win late on to extend the team’s unbeaten run to six games in all competitions.
Wholesale rotation
Head coach Dino Toppmöller made six changes to his side following the 2-0 victory over FC Viktoria Köln in the DFB Cup second round on Wednesday. Kevin Trapp returned in goal, with Jens Grahl dropping to the bench, while Tuta, Éric Junior Dina Ebimbe, Philipp Max, Ansgar Knauff and Marmoush all came in for Makoto Hasebe, Aurélio Buta, Niels Nkounkou, Jens Petter Hauge and Jessic Ngankam.
Lightning start
Undoubtedly aware that Union were low on confidence as a result of their 11-game losing streak coming into this fixture, Eintracht went on the front foot right away in a bid to take advantage of any insecurities. The Eagles were rewarded inside two minutes when Farès Chaibi’s free-kick from the left was only half-cleared to the edge of the penalty area, where Marmoush was lurking to drill in the opening goal into the bottom corner.
It did not take long for Eintracht to convert their superiority into a second goal, with Hugo Larsson tearing away down the right and crossing low into the middle for Marmoush, who poked in his second of the game at the far post. While Toppmöller’s charges were on top for the majority of the half due to their intensity and aggression, Union did have two presentable chances via David Fofana, who was first thwarted by Kevin Trapp before seeing a header hit the crossbar moments later.
Milestone moment for Nacho
The hosts improved after the break, particularly when Germany international Kevin Behrens came on for Benedict Hollerbach. The veteran forward had two opportunities soon after entering the pitch, first flicking wide from a low cross prior to steering a header narrowly off target.
Having conceded just nine league goals all season with one of the Bundesliga’s meanest defences, Eintracht were happy to soak up the pressure as the home side struggled to create any serious threat in the final third. Union did manage to put the ball in the net late on, but Fofana’s effort was ruled out for handball. Eintracht put the seal on the win in the closing stages when teenage sensation Nacho Ferri came off the bench to collect Mario Götze’s pass and fire in his first senior goal for the club and crown an all-round impressive team performance.
SGE line-up
Trapp – Tuta (Smolcic 46’), Koch, Pacho – Dina Ebimbe (Aaronson 85’), Skhiri, Larsson, Max – Chaibi (Götze 74’), Knauff (Buta 64’) – Marmoush (Ferri 74’)
Goals
0-1 Marmoush (2’)
0-2 Marmoush (14’)
0-3 Ferri (82’)
