There was little to separate the two teams in a goalless first half at the Merkur Spiel-Arena, but Adi Hütter’s side eventually took the lead when Goncalo Paciencia headed past Michael Rensing three minutes into the second half. Sébastien Haller’s injury-time brace sealed the points for Eintracht, whose unbeaten run now stands at 11 games in all competitions.
Personnel: Paciencia starts
Paciencia was named in the Eagles’ starting line-up for the very first time in Düsseldorf, with Haller dropping to the bench in one of three changes to the team that drew with Inter Milan in the UEFA Europa League. Jonathan de Guzman replaced Mijat Gacinovic in midfield, while Almamy Toure was preferred to Evan Ndicka in the visitors’ back three.
First half: Eintracht on top
There was plenty of effort but no end product from either side in a tentative first half. The hosts did have the ball in the net after just two minutes, but Dawid Kownacki’s effort was disallowed for offside. Jovic sent a header wide from Filip Kostic’s cross, while Matthias Zimmermann almost caught Kevin Trapp off guard with a cross-shot that struck the outside of the post. The Eagles eventually began to assert their dominance, though, and nearly took the lead when Kostic sidestepped the home defence on the edge of the area before firing a low shot just wide of the target. Rending had to be on his toes to deny Jovic on the brink of the interval as Eintracht finished the half in the ascendancy.
Second half: Eagles’ patience pays off
The visiting fans did not have to wait long for an opener after the restart. De Guzman’s devilish cross from the right found Paciencia, who planted his header past Rensing to put the Eagles in the driving seat. Hütter’s charges were given a let-off just after the hour mark, though, when Benito Raman’s cross appeared to strike Martin Hinteregger on the arm inside the penalty area. Referee Robert Hartmann initially awarded the spot-kick, but the official overturned his decision a few moments later after consulting with VAR. Jovic went close to doubling the visitors’ lead when his curling effort from the edge of the box was turned over by Rensing, but Haller’s late brace put the result beyond doubt. The Frenchman fired past the Fortuna custodian from Paciencia’s precise pass, before lifting his tally for the campaign to 19 goals with a simple finish from Kostic’s low cross.
Summary: A deserved victory
Fortuna had won three of their last four Bundesliga encounters prior to Monday’s clash, but the Eagles were too strong for Friedhelm Funkel’s side in the second half and could have won by an even greater margin. The win lifts Eintracht back above Bayer 04 Leverkusen into fifth - just three points off a UEFA Champions League place.
SGE line-up:
Trapp - Toure, Hasebe, Hinteregger - Da Costa, Rode, de Guzman (Gacinovic 80’), Kostic - Jovic (Haller 72’), Paciencia (Willems 90+5’)
Goals:
0-1 Paciencia (48’)
0-2 Haller (90+1’)
0-3 Haller (90+3’)
