Football: Frankfurt snatch 2-1 victory at Wolfsburg to snap winless run, Bremen beat Schalke

BERLIN (REUTERS) - Eintracht Frankfurt's Daichi Kamada slotted in an 85th-minute winner to secure a 2-1 victory at VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday (May 30), lifting them five points away from the relegation zone with five games left in the season.

Japan international Kamada scored from a Bas Dost layoff to throw his team a crucial Bundesliga lifeline after they had gone six games without a win, including five defeats.

Frankfurt were on the backfoot at the start as Wolfsburg looked to tighten their grip on a European spot but struck against the run of play when Portuguese Andre Silva was brought down in the box and converted the 27th-minute penalty himself.

Wolfsburg twice went close to an equaliser before the break but got their deserved goal in the 58th minute through Kevin Mbabu's glancing header from Maxi Arnold's eighth assist of the season.

Frankfurt almost scored again in the 74th but Mijat Gacinovic's point-blank effort was blocked by keeper Koen Casteels.

Kamada scored the winner with a low drive for his second goal in two games. Frankfurt substitute Lucas Torro was then sent off for two yellow cards within three minutes in stoppage time.

"This victory was brutally important for us," said Frankfurt keeper Kevin Trapp.

"We have talked a lot about what we can improve. It was a great team performance and we believed in the win."

Frankfurt moved up to 12th place on 32 points, five points above the relegation playoff spot, while Wolfsburg stayed sixth on 42.

Leaders Bayern Munich, on 64, host Fortuna Duesseldorf later on Saturday. Second-placed Borussia Dortmund, on 57, travel to Paderborn on Sunday.

The Bundesliga became the first major sports league to resume two weeks ago amid the Covid-19 pandemic with all games being played in empty stadiums to minimise the risk of infection.

Elsewhere on Saturday, former German champions Werder Bremen kept alive their hopes of avoiding relegation when a spectacular goal from Leonardo Bittencourt gave them a lifeline 1-0 win at Schalke 04.

The result left Werder in 17th place on 25 points from 28 games, two points behind 16th-placed Fortuna Duesseldorf, who occupy the relegation play-off spot.

Bittencourt grabbed a potentially vital winner for Bremen in the 32nd minute when he unleashed a thunderbolt into the top corner from 25 metres.

The loss leaves Schalke 10th on 37 points and extends their winless league run to 11 games.

The home side missed two gilt-edged chances in the second half as Werder keeper Jiri Pavlenka denied Benito Raman with a superb reflex save before Michael Gregoritsch volleyed over the bar from 12 metres.

Hertha Berlin continued their unbeaten run under new coach Bruno Labbadia and climbed to ninth in the Bundesliga table after beating FC Augsburg 2-0 at an empty Olympic Stadium.

Javairo Dilrosun and Krzysztof Piatek each scored. Dilrosun scored midway through the first half and Piatek added a second in stoppage time at the end of the game to see Hertha pick up a 10th point out of a possible 12 since the resumption of the German league after the coronavirus lockdown.

Defeat left Augsburg precariously placed just four points above the relegation places.

Hertha were in 13th place when the season resumed in mid-May but have hit a purple patch since the much-travelled Labbadia took over as their fourth coach of a topsy-turvy season.

Hoffenheim substitute Ihlas Bebou scored with almost his first touch as they beat Bundesliga strugglers Mainz 1-0 away, to boost their hopes of qualifying for European football next season.

Bebou came on in the 38th minute for the injured Jacob Bruun Larsen and slotted home four minutes later against the run of play after collecting Diadie Samassekou's ball over the top of the Mainz midfield.

Victory drew Hoffenheim level on 42 points with Wolfsburg, but kept them seventh in the Bundesliga on goal difference, while Mainz stayed in 15th place, a point above the bottom three, after their fifth game in a row without victory.

The visitors also had a first-half penalty when Christoph Baumgartner was brought down in the Mainz box, but keeper Florian Mueller got down well to deny Steven Zuber from the spot.

Mainz put the ball in the back of the net in the 60th minute, but Taiwo Awoniyi's effort was ruled out after team mate Karim Onisiwo was adjudged to have blocked off Hoffenheim keeper Oliver Baumann.