Frankfurt up to second and pile pressure on Schalke

Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 Schalke
Goal: 1-0 Lindstrom 22’ (assist: Kolo Muani), 2-0 Borre 84’ (assist: Lindstrom), 3-0 Buta 90'+1 (assist: Borre)

Although four points behind everyone else at the foot of the table at kick-off, Schalke started confidently at Deutsche Bank Park. However, a Danny Latza free-kick into the wall was the most they could muster early on. Eintracht soon found their groove, Kolo Muani having an effort deflected wide after driving into space and Daichi Kamada seeing a curling effort saved. The hosts took the lead midway through the half when Kolo Muani slipped in Lindstrom, who bamboozled Henning Matriciani before firing into the far top corner. The Royal Blues twice came close to an equaliser before the break. Simon Terodde first had a header tipped around the post before Soichiro Kozuki – a livewire on his senior Schalke debut – struck the outside of the woodwork.

Kozuki was involved again after the restart and almost had his goal if not for an excellent reaction stop from Kevin Trapp to deny his close-range header. It was one of five efforts the visitors had in the first 10 minutes of the second half alone, but to no avail. Genuine chances remained at a premium after that as Frankfurt shut up shop and looked to hit the Royal Blues on the counter. They finally wrapped things up when Lindstrom fed substitute Borre, who curled in the second of the afternoon. Debutant Aurelio Buta then added the icing on the cake in added time. Coupled with Bochum’s win over Hertha Berlin, the result leaves Schalke five points from Hertha in 17th and six from safety. Eintracht, meanwhile, are up to second after Freiburg lost to Wolfsburg. The last time the Eagles were that high in the table at the end of a round of fixtures was after Matchday 8 of 2012/13.

• Lindstrom’s seventh Bundesliga goal of the campaign took him level with Kamada as Eintracht’s top scorer. It’s also two more than he got in 29 games last season.
• Kolo Muani brought up his 10th league assist of 2022/23 – the first player to reach double figures in the Bundesliga.
• The France international has now been directly involved in 15 Bundesliga goals – a league high together with Jamal Musiala.
• Trapp made his 250th Bundesliga appearance (218 for Frankfurt, 32 for Kaiserslautern).
• Eintracht are yet to lose a game where they have led this season (W8, D1). Schalke are yet to win one when they’ve trailed (D2, L10).
• Schalke’s two debutants (Kozuki and Jere Uronen) mean 463 players have now featured for the Royal Blues in the Bundesliga, moving clear of Frankfurt as the club with the most players used in the league’s history.

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Watch: Trapp: "Second because we deserve it"

Frankfurt: Trapp (c) - Jakic, Smolcic, N'Dicka - Dina Ebimbe (Buta 70'), Kamada (Rode 81'), Sow, Knauff (Lenz 61') - Lindstrom, Götze - Kolo Muani (Borre 70')
Unused subs: Ramaj, Toure, Borre, Alario, Chandler
Out: Aaronson (international duty), Tuta (ankle), Wenig (metatarsal)
Coach: Oliver Glasner

Schalke: Schwolow - Brunner, Yoshida, Matriciani, Uronen - Latza (c), Krauß - Kozuki (Karaman 74'), Larsson (Frey 82'), Bülter - Terodde
Unused subs: Fährmann, Greiml, Aydin, Mohr, Ivan, Müller, Topp
Out: Drexler (not included), Heekeren (cruciate ligament), Kral (back), Ouwejan (knee), Polter (knee), Tauer (muscular), van den Berg (ankle), Zalazar (metatarsal)
Coach: Thomas Reis

Watch: Lindstrom: "We have a team that can compete"