Frankfurt cruise past Kiel to tighten grip on third in Bundesliga

Frankfurt, Germany: Goals from Hugo Larsson, Tuta and Can Uzun lifted Eintracht Frankfurt to a comfortable 3-1 Bundesliga home victory over Holstein Kiel on Sunday, tightening their grip on third spot.

Larsson put Frankfurt in front from a Nathaniel Brown cross after 18 minutes and Tuta took advantage of a failed Kiel clearance to double the lead on the 37-minute mark. Hugo Ekitike won a penalty shortly before halftime, but was unable to convert it, with Kiel ´keeper Thomas Daehne guessing right to keep out the Frenchman´s shot.

Uzun put the match beyond doubt 15 minutes into the second half when he pressed Kiel into an error, before slotting home. Kiel´s Finn Porath scored in the 73rd minute, tapping in a rebound after having two shots saved by Kevin Trapp.

Ekitike´s frustrating day continued when he had an excellent late solo goal struck off for offside. Bochum´s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday means Kiel finish the weekend in last place, eight points from safety.

The victory sent Frankfurt five points clear of fourth-placed RB Leipzig with 22 games of a 34-game season played. The Eagles are on track to qualify for the Champions League for just the second time in their history, with their first appearance coming courtesy of winning the Europa League in 2022.

“Right now, things look pretty nice in the table but what matters more is how things look on the 34th matchday,” Trapp told DAZN. With a trip to Bayern next week, followed by hosting Leverkusen, Frankfurt face the Bundesliga´s top two in the coming fortnight. “The next two weeks we´ve got the two top teams ahead of us. In Munich you know how hard it is -- you almost need a perfect day, but we won´t hide,” added Trapp. “After that we´ve got the defending German champions -- and we won´t be hiding for that one either, we know our qualities.”

Mainz won 2-0 at Heidenheim in Sunday´s late game to move up three places to sixth. Jonathan Burkhardt and Nelson Weiper scored in each half for this season´s surprise package, who narrowly avoided relegation last season.