Bundesliga Player Ratings | Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 Hamburg

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In an immediate rematch between two tradition-rich Bundesliga clubs who met in the DFB-Pokal five days earlier, Adi Hütter’s Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Merlin Polzin’s Hamburg by the exact same scoreline as in the cup. A complete team performance from the German Eagles at their Waldstadion lifted Hessen’s SGE to eighth place in the table following a 3-1 victory, their third Bundesliga win of the season. History was also made when, as promised, Hütter introduced 16-year-old prodigy Niko Ilicevic late in the encounter. At 16 years and one day, Ilicevic equalled Youssoufa Moukoko’s record as the youngest player in Bundesliga history.

Frankfurt make the opening pinpricks

The hosts noticeably carried some momentum from Tuesday’s Pokal victory into the encounter, making regular incursions into HSV’s penalty area in the opening minutes. An interesting short corner design in the fifth minute concluded with Can Uzun putting the ball just wide. A little over a minute later, Younes Ebnoutalib stung the palms of HSV keeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes after a Miro Muheim turnover in the back ranks led to a flash-fire scoring chance directly in front of goal. One certainly sensed that the early momentum would soon be reflected on the scoresheet.

One-way traffic eventually yields opener

Eintracht’s relentless attacking waves finally produced the 1-0 in the 10th minute. The resurgent Uzun played in Fares Chaïbi on the left with a sparkling run and through ball. Chaïbi’s square ball, intended for the onrushing Ebnoutalib, took an unfortunate deflection that left Heuer Fernandes unable to intercept. HSV defender Warmed Omari couldn’t adjust to the deflection either and inadvertently steered the ball into his own net. As fluky as the match’s first goal was, it certainly counted as a well-earned tally for the superior hosts.

Double Brassier mistake enables Hamburg to equalize

The Hanseatic visitors had barely arrived in the match, yet were able to draw level just four minutes later with their first promising attack. Two defensive errors from SGE center-back Lilian Brassier in the same sequence led to the equalizer. Brassier first botched a touch, allowing Hamburg’s Miro Muheim to drive deeper into the area. The defender then sent a poor clearance of Muheim’s cross onto the foot of Albert Grønbaek. The Danish attacker alertly laid the ball off for Terem Moffi, who coolly slid home the 14th-minute 1-1.

A captivating contest heads into the break level

An immensely entertaining first half somehow drew to a close without any additional goals. Exquisite dribbling work from Grønbaek and David Møller Wolfe produced an eye-catching chance for HSV in the 26th minute. At the other end, Doan (28th) and Chaïbi (31st) broke through to create excitement in front of the HSV net. Albert Sambi Lokonga (38th) and Muheim (39th) then earned their respective rounds of applause from the visiting supporters with another pair of Hamburg chances. Eintracht drew two saves out of Heuer Fernandes with headed efforts in the 45th minute of first-half stoppage time and a minute later.

A 1-1 scoreline at halftime felt right, even if the Hessian hosts enjoyed a slight optical advantage.

Early redemption for two SGE players

The seats at the Waldstadion weren’t fully repopulated after the halftime break before the hosts retook the lead. Two SGE players who had committed their fair share of mistakes in the opening 45 both played important roles in the 47th-minute 2-1. After Ebnoutalib dug out a 46th-minute corner, Brassier headed the subsequent delivery on target. Raphael Onyedika quickly pounced on the rebound, beating Jordan Torunarigha to the loose ball and scoring his first goal for his new Bundesliga club. Uzun nearly added to the lead four minutes later with a fine effort from distance.

A quality goal disallowed

A splendid goal that could have put the match beyond the visitors’ reach in the 62nd minute was disallowed for a marginal offside position. More excellent dribbling work from Uzun unleashed Ansgar Knauff on the right. An inch-perfect cross from the halftime substitute, who had replaced Keita Kosugi, was then stroked home by Chaïbi. Replays nevertheless confirmed that Knauff was narrowly ahead of the HSV defensive line upon receiving the pass. Both players missed out on a well-deserved opportunity to get their names on the scoresheet.

Can Uzun refuses to give up

Regensburg’s German-Turkish phenom showed no interest in the fact that his earlier work had been chalked off and continued to play like a man possessed. A top-notch midfield ball win from the 20-year-old in the 69th minute eventually produced the 3-1. Uzun embarked on a scorching individual run, deftly drawing defenders toward him before picking out an onside Ebnoutalib for the goal that would decide the game. Electrified by their two-goal cushion, Eintracht poured it on. Only the crossbar denied Chaïbi six minutes later. Doan and newly introduced substitute Jonathan Burkardt also managed to get quality looks at goal.

Noah Atubolu shines, Niko Ilicevic makes history

Hamburg threatened to claw a goal back late on, but SGE summer acquisition Noah Atubolu responded with a pair of strong saves shortly before second-half stoppage time. At the beginning of added time, Hütter and captain Robin Koch both received bookings for protesting that they weren’t being permitted to introduce Ilicevic. The 16-year-old eventually made it onto the pitch and equalled Moukoko’s Bundesliga age record, even managing, to the delight of the crowd, to get two shots away before the full-time whistle.

Eintracht Frankfurt Player Ratings

Noah Atubolu (7) – Elias Baum (5), Robin Koch (6), Lilian Brassier (6), Keita Kosugi (4) – Raphael Onyedika (6), Noël Aséko (6) – Ritsu Doan (7), Can Uzun (9), Fares Chaïbi (7) – Younes Ebnoutalib (8)

Substitutes: Ansgar Knauff (7), Jonathan Burkardt (6), Mario Götze (5), Niko Ilicevic (6)

Hamburger SV Player Ratings

Daniel Heuer Fernandes (4) – Shafiq Nandja (4), Jordan Torunarigha (3), Warmed Omari (4) – David Møller Wolfe (6), Albert Sambi Lokonga (5), Miro Muheim (6), Louis Lemke (6) – Martin Adeline (5), Albert Grønbaek (6) – Terem Moffi (7)

Substitutes: Zakaria El Ouahdi (5), Patson Daka (5), Kofi Amoako (5), Alexander Røssing-Lelesiit (6)

GGFN Bundesliga Player of the Match: Can Uzun (9)

Eintracht Frankfurt’s Can Uzun made an emphatic case for a return to regular first-team football in Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Hamburger SV. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder delivered an influential performance in his first Bundesliga start since Matchday 5, providing an assist and helping orchestrate Frankfurt’s attacking play.

Uzun’s early-season struggles made the display particularly noteworthy. The Turkish international had received disappointing individual grades in four of his previous five Bundesliga starts, with his brace against Mainz on Matchday 3 accounting for his only two league goals of the campaign. As Get German Football News examined in its Frankfurt preseason tactical preview, questions surrounding Uzun’s defensive responsibilities and suitability for Adi Hütter’s preferred system had already emerged during the summer. His two-goal performance against Mainz subsequently demonstrated what the youngster could offer when provided with greater attacking freedom.

Against Hamburg, Uzun registered 77 touches, completed 84 percent of his 51 attempted passes, and contributed three shots with a combined xG of 0.20. His assist carried an xA value of 0.49. The midfielder also covered an impressive 12.02 kilometres in 89 minutes, providing evidence of his considerable involvement throughout the encounter.

Uzun has now done a spectacular job from the No. 10 slot in two consecutive matches.

GGFN | Peter Weis