The winter break came at the right time for Eintracht Frankfurt, with the Eagles losing four of their last five matches in 2024. However, the visitors looked refreshed at the start of the game, and threatened the St. Pauli defence from the off.
They went close to taking the lead after just four minutes, after Omar Marmoush latched onto a ball in the box before rifling an effort towards the top-right corner, only to be denied by a stunning save from Nikola Vasilj. It was a moment of frustration from Eintracht’s perspective, but their pressure eventually paid off with just over half an hour played.
Perhaps eager to make his last appearance for the Eagles – ahead of a potential move to Man City – a memorable one, Marmoush atoned for his earlier failure to net, and registered his 14th goal of the season, when he gathered a loose ball and rifled it across goal and into the top-left corner.
St. Pauli started the second half well though, forcing Kevin Trapp into a couple of big saves early in the half. The first save came via a shot from distance, where Manolis Saliakis fired towards the bottom-right corner from distance.
The second came after Jackson Irvine saw his header saved in the centre of the goal after rising highest to meet Morgan Guilavogui’s cross. However, the Eagles went close to scoring the second goal of the game too, with Rasmus Kristensen drilling a shot at goal, only to be denied by the crossbar.
The hosts continued to press for an equaliser as the game approached the final five minutes, going close through substitute Scott Banks, but the Scottish striker could only watch on as his shot rattled the right-post.
Ultimately, St. Pauli ran out of ideas, and the result puts an end to a dismal run of form that had seen the Eagles slip away from the Bundesliga title race. However, Eintracht are still sitting third in the table, with a six-point gap separating them from leaders Bayern Munich.
Meanwhile, St. Pauli continue to look over their shoulders, with just one point separating them from Heidenheim in the relegation play-off spot.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Omar Marmoush (Eintracht Frankfurt)
