Frankfurt rally late to draw with Freiburg and stem losing run

FRANKFURT: Lowly Eintracht Frankfurt ended a run of five successive Bundesliga defeats as they staged a late rally to come from behind and force a 3-3 home draw with SC Freiburg on Tuesday.

Daichi Kamada and Timothy Chandler scored in the closing stages to rescue a vital point for the struggling hosts who had inexplicably slipped 3-1 behind in a match they dominated.

Andre Silva scored the home side’s other goal when he equalised in the first half for Frankfurt, who were guilty of wasting several good opportunities in an action-packed game.

Vincenzo Grifo had opened the scoring for Freiburg before Nils Petersen and Lucas Holer also put away rare chances for the seventh-placed visitors, looking to boost their European hopes.

Freiburg have 38 points from 28 games, four behind Vfl Wolfsburg who occupy the last Europa League spot. Frankfurt are now five points above the relegation places.

The home side had three opportunities to open the scoring inside the opening 20 minutes but Silva hesitated and Filip Kostic and Bas Dost both hit efforts narrowly wide.

Freiburg had hardly got a look in when they burst downfield in the 28th minute and Grifo got away from his marker to strike home with a shot that dipped in off the underside of the bar.

Frankfurt were level within seven minutes as Japan international Kamada struck a powerful shot that goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow parried, only for Silva to react quickest and head the rebound into the net.

Kostic came close again five minutes later as Frankfurt looked to take the lead before halftime but his left-foot shot struck the legs of Schwolow.

The Freiburg keeper again came to his club’s rescue early in the second half as he denied Kamada with an outstretched leg and was at full stretch to keep out Martin Hinteregger’s shot.

Freiburg then stunned the hosts with another goal against the run of play after winning a 67th minute free kick that Christian Gunter put onto the head of Petersen for a 2-1 lead.

Some 60 seconds later they were two goals up as a long pass from their own half set Holer away on goal and he kept his nerve to finish with aplomb.

But a defensive slip from Freiburg’s Robin Koch opened the door for a home comeback. He was dispossesed as Kamada pulled a goal back with 11 minutes remaining.

Three minutes later more jittery defending gave substitute Chandler the chance to finish at the back post with his first touch of the game and save his side from a sixth loss in a row.