2:2 after 2:0: Werder Bremen squander victory against Frankfurt
One new international was not enough. Despite another goal from Marvin Ducksch, Werder Bremen squandered a 2-0 lead against Eintracht Frankfurt in a 2-2 (1-0) draw in the Bundesliga on Sunday. Frankfurt equalized within ten minutes with goals from Ellyes Skhiri (65th minute) and Hrvoje Smolcic (75th). They extended their unbeaten run to eight competitive matches.
Two days after his first international call-up, Ducksch had put Bremen ahead with a penalty (45.+1). His strike partner Rafael Borré made it 2-0 in the 49th minute, without breaking out into jubilation afterwards. The 28-year-old Colombian international was only on loan from Frankfurt.
Although they let the win slip from their grasp, Bremen continued to take small steps away from the relegation places and enjoyed the attention that another striker brought them two and a half months after the sale of Niclas Füllkrug to Borussia Dortmund: the 29-year-old late starter Ducksch.
At Borussia Dortmund, SC Paderborn and Fortuna Düsseldorf, he once failed to establish himself as a first division striker. At Werder, however, Ducksch has now scored 16 Bundesliga goals in less than a year and a half since promotion in 2022.
Against Frankfurt, too, it was easy to see what his club coach Ole Werner and national coach Julian Nagelsmann apparently see in him: an attacker who is not only self-confident and a strong shot-stopper, but also very intelligent.
Time and again on Sunday, Ducksch eluded his angular and also 1.88-meter-tall opponent William Pacho by dropping to the wings or into midfield. This gave him some space and brought him closer to the first goal of the game almost by the minute at the end of the first half.
In the 40th minute, he was unable to control a fine assist from Borré in the penalty area. Shortly afterwards, his shot from 16 meters merely flew towards the upper tier of the stands behind the goal (41'). In stoppage time, Ducksch nevertheless grabbed the ball after Ansgar Knauff had fouled Jens Stage and converted the spot-kick with aplomb.
Werder's convincing performance, at least for an hour, was not only due to the striker duo harmonizing better and better, but also to very concentrated and consistent defensive work. Frankfurt were the better team in footballing terms. However, Bremen left them little room for their combination play.
Eintracht only became dangerous after the break when Knauff shot over the goal from close range (55'). By then it was clear to the 21-year-old that this was not his day. In the 45th minute he conceded a penalty, in the 55th he missed a huge chance, in the 64th he was substituted and in the 65th his team began their race to catch up.
Frankfurt were clearly superior in the second half. In the end, however, both teams had the 3:2 on their feet. Eintracht's best chance was again missed by Skhiri (83'). Ducksch failed to score for Werder in the 90th minute.
Despite their superior play in the second half, Eintracht Frankfurt still hadn't managed to best Werder Bremen's Bundesliga goal-scorer Marvin Ducksch, who had joined them on loan. In the 2022-2023 season, Ducksch had found his stride at Werder Bremen, scoring 16 goals in less than a year and a half since their promotion.
Despite Ducksch's impressive performance for Werder Bremen, Frankfurt managed to secure a point in the Bundesliga with goals from Ellyes Skhiri and Hrvoje Smolcic, after having squandered a 2-0 lead earlier in the game.
Source: www.dpa.com
