Terem Moffi struck late for Hamburg, but Eintracht Frankfurt advanced to the DFB-Pokal third round after a 3-1 victory at the Volksparkstadion.
Key takeaways
- Moffi scored Hamburg’s only goal in the 79th minute after being supplied by Patson Daka.
- Robin Koch opened the scoring for Frankfurt before Jonathan Burkardt and Younes Ebnoutalib extended the lead.
- Frankfurt’s Burkardt was named Player of the Match in the second-round cup tie.
- Hamburg generated 2.95 expected goals compared with Frankfurt’s 1.69, but failed to match the visitors’ finishing.
- Raphael Onyedika helped Frankfurt win the midfield battle despite receiving a late yellow card.
Frankfurt take control after the interval
The Super Eagles striker began as the central attacker in Hamburg’s 3-4-3 system and remained an active presence throughout the contest. Frankfurt broke the deadlock in the 56th minute through Robin Koch, but Moffi continued to test the away defence.
He had an opportunity to score his first goal of the evening seven minutes later when he met a header, although he was unable to turn the chance into an equaliser.
Frankfurt then moved decisively ahead. Burkardt, who collected the Player of the Match award, doubled the visitors’ advantage in the 72nd minute. Substitute Younes Ebnoutalib added another three minutes later to put the result beyond Hamburg’s reach.
Moffi responds but Hamburg exit the cup
Hamburg finally had a moment to celebrate in the 79th minute. Patson Daka, also introduced from the bench, created the opening for Moffi, who converted from close distance to reduce the deficit to 3-1. The goal brought life back to a home crowd that had fallen silent after Frankfurt’s early second-half breakthrough.
There was to be no further comeback, however. Moffi was taken off in the 82nd minute for his Norwegian colleague Alexander Røssing, having earned a 7.4 rating, level with the highest mark among Hamburg players.
Hamburg created the greater volume of chances, recording an expected-goals total of 2.95 against Frankfurt’s 1.69, but the visitors proved far more efficient in front of goal.
Nigeria midfielder Raphael Onyedika delivered a composed performance for Frankfurt and ended the match on the winning side, although he was booked in the 85th minute.
While Hamburg’s DFB-Pokal campaign is over, Moffi can draw encouragement from a display in which he repeatedly troubled Frankfurt and capped his efforts with a goal.
