Dino Toppmöller’s starting line-up showed just one change from last Sunday’s 0-0 draw against SC Freiburg, with Mario Götze preferred to Niels Nkounkou in attack. Omar Marmoush led the line against the club he left in the summer.
Wind and Casteels the difference
There was just one point separating the two sides going into this Matchday 6 encounter, and there was also little between them in the opening exchanges at the Volkswagen Arena. It took until the 21st minute for the first real chance to arrive. Marmoush flicked the ball deftly into the path of Ellyes Skhiri, whose low shot was saved by Koen Casteels, who also managed to smother the rebound.
Ten minutes later, the hosts broke the deadlock with their first genuine chance. Lovro Majer’s drive was parried by Kevin Trapp, but the in-form Jonas Wind was following up and tapped in from the rebound. The Eagles nearly came up with a quick response when Junior Dina Ebimbe picked out the unmarked Marmoush in a central position in the penalty area, but his low finish was tipped around the post by Casteels. Majer then saw his goal disallowed due to a handball by Ridle Baku, before Dina Ebimbe squandered a promising situation for Frankfurt on the stroke of half-time.
Wolves see it out
Wolfsburg fashioned the first opportunity of the second half, Trapp coming out to foil Tiago Tomás’ effort from a tight angle. Eintracht’s task was made even harder on 58 minutes, when Götze was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Mattias Svanberg. And they were then grateful to Trapp for keeping them in the contest, the Germany international making two superb saves from Baku’s deflected shot and Maxence Lacroix’s header.
With a man down, Eintracht struggled to exert pressure on Wolfsburg, who were content to keep the ball and manage the game. Toppmöller threw on Paxten Aaronson, Jens Petter Hauge and Jessic Ngankam in the closing stages but the result was sealed in the 84th minute, after Wolfsburg were awarded a penalty when Ansgar Knauff brushed Kevin Paredes in the box. Wind’s spot-kick was well saved by Trapp but again the Dane tucked in the rebound.
It's another busy week ahead for Eintracht, who travel to PAOK in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday before hosting Heidenheim in the Bundesliga next Sunday.
SGE line-up
Trapp – Tuta (Aaronson 82’), Koch, Pacho – Buta (Knauff 60’), Larsson, Skhiri, Dina Ebimbe (Hauge 82’) – Götze, Chaibi (Nkounkou 68’) – Marmoush (Ngankam 82’)
Goals
1-0 Wind (31’)
2-0 Wind (84’, pen)
