Frankfurt 2-1 Marseille: German side keep alive their Champions League hopes with win over Igor Tudor’s team as Tottenham’s group goes down to the wire
- Group D is finely poised going into the final round of fixtures in a week’s time
- Frankfurt secured crucial victory over the French outfit to keep their hopes alive
- Goals from Daichi Kamada and Randal Kolo Muani give German side key victory
Eintracht Frankfurt muscled their way to a 2-1 win over Olympique de Marseille on Wednesday to leave Champions League Group D wide open and boost their chances of advancing on the final matchday next week.
The win lifted the Europa League winners to seven points, one ahead of Marseille and level with second-placed Sporting. Tottenham are top on eight after drawing 1-1 against the Portuguese side.
Frankfurt travel to Sporting on Tuesday when Marseille host Tottenham. The top two teams qualify for the last 16.
Frankfurt clinched a narrow 2-1 win over Marseille to keep their Champions League last-16 hopes alive on Wednesday night
‘Now we have a final in Lisbon. If we present ourselves like we did today and stand together then everything is still possible for us,’ said Randal Kolo Muani, who scored Frankfurt’s winner.
In a fiery start, Frankfurt’s Daichi Kamada completed a superb passing move to put the hosts in front after three minutes with their first goal in a home game in the competition this season.
They should have added at least one more in a strong first half but Mario Goetze, making his 50th start in the competition, headed wide a little later while Christopher Lenz’s effort was blocked by goalkeeper Pau Lopez.
Randal Kolo Muani gave Frankfurt the lead and they defended resolutely for the remainder of the game
Marseille drew level with a Matteo Guendouzi close-range volley in the 22nd but their joy lasted only five minutes.
The France international turned from hero to villain, losing possession, and Goetze, whose performances this season have made him a candidate for Germany’s World Cup squad, played a perfect one-two with Kolo Muani who slotted in the winner.
Frankfurt keeper Kevin Trapp did well to protect their one-goal lead on the stroke of halftime when he got his hands to an Amine Harit volley and tipped the ball wide.
In a far more subdued second half Marseille had the upper hand but struggled to create clear chances, with Eintracht working hard to close down any spaces.
Marseille had equalised midway through the first period after going behind early on in game
‘I don’t know why things didn’t work out this evening,’ said Marseille defender Jonathan Clauss. ‘We reacted well after a bad start but then conceded another goal due to a lapse in concentration.’
‘We tried to push, play as we are able to, but it wasn’t enough. Now we have a final against (visitors) Spurs next week.’
Wins for Marseille and Frankfurt would put them in the last 16 while Spurs and Sporting will qualify if they avoid defeat.
