Thomas Schaaf's Eintracht Frankfurt see off Werder Bremen

Updated: May 17, 2023, 06:26 am
Thomas Schaaf spent over four decades with Werder Bremen.
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Thomas Schaaf picked up a bittersweet Bundesliga victory over his former club Werder Bremen as Eintracht Frankfurt triumphed 5-2 at the Waldstadion.

Alexander Meier scored twice and Haris Seferovic, Stefan Aigner and Marc Stendera were also on target for the Eagles, who climbed to seventh in the table, leaving Bremen, for whom Theodor Gebre Selassie and Luca Caldirola scored, inside the bottom three.

Schaaf, who spent over four decades with Bremen, and 14 as their coach until May 2013, will have taken delight in his side's progress this season, although one eye will undoubtedly be weeping for his former club's plight.

Frankfurt's 53-year-old coach said he would be able to forget about his past when he came up against the only other club of his playing and coaching career, and his team demonstrated how well he had prepared them.

They did not give Bremen an inch and could have had a penalty in the 19th minute when Seferovic was fouled just inside the area by Sebastian Prodl, but the referee gave a free-kick as the Frankfurt forward fell outside the area.

Nothing came of it with Meier shooting straight at Rafael Wolf before Takashi Inui went even closer, hitting the post with a header after half an hour.

The very same post was struck again a minute later by Stendera, but this time the ball fell out to Meier, who made sure from close range.

There had been little coming from Bremen, until they levelled on the stroke of half-time with Gebre Selassie rising to head in a corner.

Frankfurt regrouped and regained the lead seven minutes into the second half when Seferovic went to meet Inui's cross and clashed with Wolf.

Alexander Meier continued his fine form this season.
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Both players fell to the ground but, while Wolf writhed in agony, Seferovic poked the loose ball in with the referee giving the goal, despite Bremen's protests.

Wolf lasted only five more minutes before Richard Strebinger came on for his Bundesliga debut, as if to drive it home that he was not making a meal of the clash with Seferovic.

Bremen had the chance to level when Felix Kroos' shot hit the post, but Frankfurt broke immediately to double their lead with Aigner hitting the post and Meier again in the right place to tuck the ball into the open goal.

Aigner made it four when another Inui cross cut through three Bremen defenders to the unmarked Frankfurt midfielder, but Caldirola volleyed Bremen back into the game with his first Bundesliga goal.

Any hope they had was short-lived, though, with Stendera scoring from 20 yards from yet another Inui touch down to seal an emphatic win for Schaaf's Frankfurt.