Omar Marmoush’s first-half goal led Eintracht Frankfurt to a 1-0 Bundesliga win at St Pauli on Saturday, as speculation mounts over his potential move to Manchester City.
Prior to the match, Frankfurt sporting director Markus Kroesche confirmed that “a club had got in contact” regarding Marmoush, with Sky Germany reporting that the Egyptian forward had already agreed to personal terms with the struggling English champions.
Marmoush opened the scoring in the 32nd minute against his former club, calmly turning inside the box before rifling a shot into the top corner to give Frankfurt the lead. The goal marked Marmoush’s 14th in 16 Bundesliga appearances this season, propelling him to the top of the league’s scoring charts, tied with Harry Kane. The 25-year-old also has eight league assists to his name.
Frankfurt captain Kevin Trapp praised the team’s defensive effort, saying, “We did plenty to keep a clean sheet today,” while acknowledging areas for improvement. “There’s definitely a few things we can improve on,” he added.
The win kept Frankfurt in third place, six points behind leaders Bayern Munich, who were set to face Borussia Mönchengladbach later on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Freiburg climbed into sixth place, overtaking Borussia Dortmund with a 3-2 home win over Holstein Kiel. The match featured a stunning free-kick from Freiburg captain Christian Guenter, while Kiel’s Nicolai Remberg inadvertently scored an own goal. Vincenzo Grifo also found the net for Freiburg, although Kiel’s Phil Harres made things tense with two late goals.
Union Berlin’s week took a further downturn as they suffered a 2-0 defeat at Heidenheim, playing with 10 men just days after the German Football Association (DFB) handed them a controversial punishment for fan misconduct. Union’s 1-1 draw with Bochum in December was overturned to a 2-0 loss after a home fan threw a lighter at the visiting goalkeeper. Union president Dirk Zingler blasted the DFB decision as an “unfair scandal,” and the club has appealed the ruling.
In Heidenheim, Bayern Munich loanee Frans Kraetzig gave the hosts the lead with a counter-attacking goal, and Union’s Tom Rothe was sent off for a last-man foul. Adrian Beck sealed the win for Heidenheim, their first since September.
Mainz moved into fourth place with a 2-0 win over lowly Bochum, with Jonathan Burkardt scoring in both halves. Wolfsburg also triumphed 1-0 at Hoffenheim, thanks to a 29th-minute strike from Mohamed Amoura.
AFP
