Andre Silva (3rd L) of Frankfurt takes a scoring penalty kick during a German Bundesliga match between Hertha BSC and Eintracht Frankfurt in Berlin, capital of Germany, Sept. 25, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Voigt/Xinhua)
BERLIN, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Eintracht Frankfurt took its first win of the season after beating Hertha Berlin 3-1 away from home in the second round of the Bundesliga on Friday.
Both sides played with many fouls, with Frankfurt playmaker Filip Kostic unable to continue after a foul from Jordan Torunarigha only 15 minutes into the match.
It was also foul play that facilitated the Eagles opening the scoring in the 27th minute, as Dedryck Boyata hacked down Andre Silva inside the box, with the Portuguese stepping up and converting the resultant penalty.
Hertha responded well but both Dodi Lukebakio and Matheus Cunha squandered promising opportunities.
Instead, goals were scored at the other end of the pitch, as Lucas Tousart's foul on Sebastian Rode allowed Daichi Kamada to curl the subsequent free-kick into the path of Bas Dost, who nodded home from close range in the 36th minute.
Hertha's head coach Bruno Labbadia made changes and fielded Deyovaisio Zeefuik, Arne Maie and Jhon Cordoba after the restart.
The substitutions made an impact on Hertha's performance, as the hosts increased the pressure and were able to pin Frankfurt in their territory. However, they lacked the penetration and ideas to overcome Frankfurt's well-positioned defense.
Even though Hertha was on the front foot, it was the visitor who tripled the lead out of the blue in the 70th minute when Rode had time and space to curl the ball from the edge of the box into the top left corner.
Hertha was able to score a consolation goal in the 76th minute with the assistance of Martin Hinteregger, who cleared a square pass from Torunarigha into the wrong goal.
Bruno Labbadia's men gained momentum but Frankfurt stood firm and protected its lead until the final whistle.
"We played very well against a good team. We won more tackles and played very offensively today," Frankfurt's Sebastian Rode said.
With the result, Hertha Berlin suffered its first defeat whereas Eintracht Frankfurt took its first win of the season.
The following fixtures are scheduled for Saturday: Borussia Monchengladbach host Union Berlin, Bayer Leverkusen face Leipzig, Mainz meet newly-promoted Stuttgart, Augsburg clash with Borussia Dortmund, newly-promoted Arminia Bielefeld take on Cologne, and Schalke face Werder Bremen. Enditem
