Freiburg pull off shock win at Frankfurt

AFP, BERLIN: Striker Florian Niederlechner netted both of Freiburg's goals in their shock 2-1 comeback win at Bundesliga high-fliers Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday to leave them just outside the top six.
Eintracht crashed to only their second defeat at home this season despite taking an early lead when Sweden striker Branimir Hrgota converted their first chance on 11 minutes.
Freiburg, last season's second division champions, forced their way back into the game as Niederlechner rounded Frankfurt goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky on 25 minutes to score.
Sixth-placed Frankfurt had the ball in the Freiburg net moments later when Ante Rebic headed home, but the referee disallowed the goal as midfielder Mijat Gacinovic had fouled goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow. Niederlechner netted again on 59 minutes for the winner when he finished off a flowing move, although replays showed he was offside.
Frankfurt's burly captain Alexander Meier, the league's top scorer in 2014/15, came off the bench in the last 10 minutes and nearly rescued a point, but his close-range shot was saved by Schwolow. The result lifted Freiburg to eighth -- two points from the top six European qualification places -- and 23 points behind league leaders Bayern Munich, who are seven clear of the chasing pack after Saturday's 3-0 win at Cologne.
Frankfurt's next league game on Saturday is in Munich. They held Carlo Ancelotti's Bayern to a 2-2 draw when the teams last met in October. Later, relegation-threatened Hamburg extended their unbeaten home run in the league to seven matches with a 1-0 win over Hertha Berlin, thanks to a late winner from Swedish midfielder Albin Ekdal.

Freiburg pull off shock win at Frankfurt

AFP, BERLIN: Striker Florian Niederlechner netted both of Freiburgs goals in their shock 2-1 comeback win at Bundesliga high-fliers Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday to leave them just outside the top six. Eintracht crashed to only their second defeat at home this season despite taking an early lead when Sweden striker Branimir Hrgota converted their first chance on 11 minutes. Freiburg, last seasons second division champions, forced their way back into the game as Niederlechner rounded Frankfurt goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky on 25 minutes to score. Sixth-placed Frankfurt had the ball in the Freiburg net moments later when Ante Rebic headed home, but the referee disallowed the goal as midfielder Mijat Gacinovic had fouled goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow. Niederlechner netted again on 59 minutes for the winner when he finished off a flowing move, although replays showed he was offside. Frankfurts burly captain Alexander Meier, the leagues top scorer in 2014/15, came off the bench in the last 10 minutes and nearly rescued a point, but his close-range shot was saved by Schwolow. The result lifted Freiburg to eighth -- two points from the top six European qualification places -- and 23 points behind league leaders Bayern Munich, who are seven clear of the chasing pack after Saturdays 3-0 win at Cologne. Frankfurts next league game on Saturday is in Munich. They held Carlo Ancelottis Bayern to a 2-2 draw when the teams last met in October. Later, relegation-threatened Hamburg extended their unbeaten home run in the league to seven matches with a 1-0 win over Hertha Berlin, thanks to a late winner from Swedish midfielder Albin Ekdal.