Eintracht victorious on 125th anniversary | OneFootball

The Eagles marked their birthday weekend with a 3-1 victory over TSG Hoffenheim. Robin Koch (32’), Junior Dina Ebimbe (50’) and Mario Götze (64’) got the goals after the visitors had taken an early lead.

Skhiri and Larsson return

Ellyes Skhiri and Hugo Larsson returned from injury as Dino Toppmöller made three changes to the Eintracht team that started last weekend’s narrow victory at Heidenheim. Götze was also recalled to the side, while Aurélio Buta, Philipp Max and Ansgar Knauff had to settle for a place on the bench.

Eagles recover from slow start

In a raucous atmosphere at Deutsche Bank Park, the Eagles made a bright start and went close to taking an early lead through Dina Ebimbe, only for John Anthony Brooks to nod the visitors in front after shrugging off Koch’s challenge at a corner. The USA international turned from hero to villain, however, bringing down Omar Marmoush 15 minutes later and giving referee Bastian Dankert no option but to brandish a straight red card.

The Eagles took control of proceedings after that and were back on level terms ten minutes later, Koch collecting Marmoush’s pass and steering the ball into the bottom right-hand corner. Götze perhaps should have found the net after getting on the end of Dina Ebimbe’s precise cross moments later, but the 31-year-old succeeded only in striking his effort against the post. The Frenchman was fractionally offside in the build-up, though, so the goal would not have counted anyway. Götze stars as Eintracht complete turnaround

Unsurprisingly, it was one-way traffic in the second half has the Eagles attempted to press home their numerical advantage. They completed the turnaround early in the second half, Götze sending in a fabulous cross for Dina Ebimbe to head past Oliver Baumann and give the hosts the lead for the first time in the match. Eintracht continued to commit men forward and went close to a third through Knauff, before Dina Ebimbe blazed over from the former Borussia Dortmund winger’s delivery.

Tuta produced a superb challenge to prevent Florian Grillitsch from restoring parity on the counterattack, but that proved to be Hoffenheim’s only clear-cut opening of the second period. Götze made amends for his earlier miss shortly after the hour mark, slotting home Knauff’s cross for his second league goal of the campaign.

There was no way back for the visitors, who finished the game with nine men after Ozan Kabak was dismissed for a second bookable offence. There was even time for Makoto Hasebe and Timothy Chandler to make late cameo appearances as Eintracht moved seven points clear of their closest pursuers in the Bundesliga table to end their birthday weekend in style.