Hradecky howler sees Frankfurt’s top-four hopes hit
BERLIN: A calamitous error from goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky saw Eintracht Frankfurt lose 2- 1 to Werder Bremen, missing a chance to bounce back into the Bundesliga top four.
Hradecky was left red- faced after he misjudged a header from his own defender David Abraham, allowing the ball to loop over him and gift victory to Bremen 11 minutes from time on Sunday.
“It was clearly my fault, I just misjudged the ball,” Finland international Hradecky told Sky. “I am sorry for the team.”
Zlatko Junuzovic fired Bremen ahead just before the half-hour mark, turning in Thomas Delaney’s fizzing cross with the help of a deflection off Makoto Hasebe.
Frankfurt knew that anything but defeat would see them move back into the top four, and they forced a string of fine saves from Jiri Pavlenka before half-time.
Hradecky was the busier of the two goalkeepers however, and he repeatedly frustrated the Bremen front line.
The visitors finally broke through on 54 minutes. Kevin-Prince Boateng picked out Luka Jovic with a brilliant backheel, and the Serbian swivelled to send a well- placed shot past Pavlenka.
Pavlenka denied Jovic in a oneon-one minutes later, and Danny Da Costa came within inches of a winner with 12 minutes remaining. Yet in the 79th minute, Hradecky let Abraham’s header slip through his fingers and Bremen secured three points.
In Sunday’s other game, Borussia Moenchengladbach were held to a 0-0 draw on their visit to relegation-threatened Mainz.
Raffael came close for Gladbach in the first half, while Yann Sommer denied Mainz with a fine save on 66 minutes, pushing Emil Berggreen’s header instinctively onto the crossbar.
At the other end, Mainz keeper Rene Adler twice came to his side’s rescue in stoppage time.
The draw sees Gladbach move up to ninth, while Mainz missed the opportunity to move out of the bottom three for the first time since January. — AFP