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Brandt strikes late to save Dortmund in Frankfurt thriller / Photo: © AFP
Brandt strikes late to save Dortmund in Frankfurt thriller
A late equaliser from Julian Brandt saw Borussia Dortmund rescue a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
Dortmund twice came from behind to level the scores against in-form Frankfurt, claiming a draw which keeps them within two points of champions Bayern Munich ahead of next weekend's clash.
Hit by injuries in the wake of their 1-0 win over Newcastle United in the Champions League in midweek, Dortmund struggled to contain Frankfurt in the first half.
The hosts took the lead after just eight minutes, Egyptian striker Omar Marmoush smashing a penalty down the middle after a handball from Marius Wolf in the box.
Marmoush doubled the lead with a poacher's finish shortly afterwards, as Frankfurt continued to carve through Dortmund on the counter-attack.
The visitors suffered yet another setback when goalkeeper Gregor Kobel was forced to go off with a nose injury after colliding with his own defender Nico Schlotterbeck.
His replacement, Alexander Meyer, was then lucky to avoid giving away another penalty with a risky challenge on Marmoush, and Dortmund continued to ride their luck until half-time.
Former Dortmund player Ansgar Knauff came close to adding a third and Marmoush hit the post on another sharp counter-attack.
Yet the visitors went into half-time with a flicker of hope after a sharp finish from Marcel Sabitzer made it 2-1 against the run of play in first-half injury time.
Marmoush missed another chance to complete his hat-trick early in the second half and Frankfurt were soon left to rue their wastefulness in front of goal.
Just 10 minutes after coming on for Donyell Malen, teenage striker Youssoufa Moukoko drilled in a low shot from the edge of the area to level the scores.
Yet Frankfurt are riding a wave of superb form at the moment, and they quickly restored the lead through Fares Chaibi.
The Algeria international shook off compatriot Ramy Bensebaini in the box to smash home his first Bundesliga goal since joining from Toulouse in August.
Brandt, who had been partly at fault for Chaibi's goal, made amends on 82 minutes when he turned in a Karim Adeyemi cross with a first-time finish.
Dortmund face Hoffenheim in the cup in midweek before hosting old rivals Bayern in next Saturday's headline match.
V.J. Coelho--JDB
