Kolo Muani opens the Frankfurt locker to deny Bochum
Bochum travelled to Hesse with fond memories of the reverse meeting, when a 3-0 victory in October got them a maiden success of 2022/23. It took them over 70 minutes to break the deadlock in that game, but just 15 to repeat the act here at the Deutsche Bank Park. Ignoring Frankfurt coach Oliver Glasner’s protestations as to the positioning of his throw-in, Christopher Antwi-Adjei found the head of Ivan Ordets, who glanced on for Bochum captain Anthony Losilla. He hit a rasping first-time volley that was parried on the stretch by Kevin Trapp, but the rebound fell to Takuma Asano, who passed the ball into the net past the still-floundering Frankfurt stopper.
Frankfurt were understandably rattled, but they regrouped to look more like a side unbeaten in their previous five home league matches, and their quality and stature eventually shone through. Talismanic striker Randal Kolo Muani glided into the box following a fast counter, leaving a dazzled Ordets to bundle him over for what Harm Osmers deemed a clear penalty. Kolo Muani himself stepped up to smash in an emphatic spot-kick, preserving Die Adler’s unbeaten home record until HT at least.
The home side were in full flow by now, and they took their momentum into the early second half minutes, when Kolo Muani was again in the thick of the action. He poked over from close range, before Rafael Santos Borré – very much a bright spark for his side recently – saw a header cleared off the line at the back post by Kostas Stafylidis.
Bochum boss Thomas Letsch had not drawn any of his first 18 matches in charge of Der Blau, and his side were determined to keep that record going for the right reasons. Key members of the squad seemed to read his mind as well, as It wasn’t long before Stafylidis was at the other end to strike a dipping free-kick against the bar with Trapp beaten. But chances thinned out from there, marking a result that satisfies neither team.
Highly unlikely though it seems, the worst-case scenario for Bochum will be a gap of just two points from an automatic relegation berth come Monday. Meanwhile, Frankfurt too will now await the weekend’s results with bated breath, and may well slip further from UEFA Champions League contention, with both Union Berlin and Freiburg at home to bottom-three opponents.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt)