Frankfurt 1-0 Cologne, Raimondo Hat Trick Leads Friday in Europe
Younes Ebnoutalib struck in the 77th minute as Frankfurt beat Cologne 1-0, and Antonio Raimondo scored a hat trick in Frosinone's 4-2 win over Sassuolo on a four league Friday night in Europe.
Key points
- Friday night in Europe belonged to a substitute in Frankfurt and a loan striker in Frosinone.
- One goal settled a game short on chances at Deutsche Bank Park.
- The win ended Frankfurt's six game winless run at home in the Bundesliga and lifted the club to eighth place.
Friday night in Europe belonged to a substitute in Frankfurt and a loan striker in Frosinone. Eintracht Frankfurt beat Cologne 1-0 in the Bundesliga, Frosinone beat Sassuolo 4-2 in Serie A behind a hat trick from Antonio Raimondo, Toulouse beat Le Mans 3-0 in France, and Levante drew 1-1 at Deportivo La Coruna in Spain. All four results are final, reported by the Associated Press and confirmed against match data.
Frankfurt 1, Cologne 0
One goal settled a game short on chances at Deutsche Bank Park. Younes Ebnoutalib scored in the 77th minute, finishing a pass from Noel Aseko Nkili, who had come on for Mario Gotze moments earlier. Two substitutes built the winner.
The win ended Frankfurt's six game winless run at home in the Bundesliga and lifted the club to eighth place. It came one game after a 6-0 loss at Leipzig, which makes the clean sheet matter as much as the goal. Cologne fell to 11th and has now gone 16 straight away games without a win, the longest current streak in the Bundesliga.
Frosinone 4, Sassuolo 2
Antonio Raimondo scored three times as Frosinone won a six goal game at home. Giacomo Calo opened the scoring with help from a goalkeeping error. Domenico Berardi levelled for Sassuolo after about a quarter of an hour. Raimondo then took the game over with classic poacher finishes in the 26th and 30th minutes. Kristian Thorstvedt cut the lead, and Raimondo completed his hat trick in the second half to restore the two goal margin.
Raimondo, 22 and on loan from Bologna, now has seven goals in seven games, after doubles against Fiorentina and Venezia before the international break. The win lifted Frosinone to fifth in Serie A, one week after a 3-0 loss to Napoli. Sassuolo sits 11th and has failed to keep a clean sheet in any of its seven league games this season.
Toulouse 3, Le Mans 0 and Deportivo 1, Levante 1
In France, Toulouse scored three times in the second half to beat Le Mans 3-0, a result the AP described as a win over a plucky Le Mans side that held out for a half before the game ran away from it.
In Spain, Levante picked up points for the second game in a row, coming from behind to draw 1-1 away at Deportivo La Coruna. For a side near the bottom of La Liga, back to back results with points are the start of a case that it can stay in the fight.
What the night means
None of these four games moved a title race. All four moved a mood. Frankfurt stopped a home slide before it became a story about the coach. Frosinone, a promoted side in the eyes of most preseason predictions, sits fifth in Italy with the form striker of the moment. Cologne's away record is now a streak other teams plan around, and Levante has a small run to protect. The weekend's bigger fixtures start on Saturday, but Friday set the table in four leagues at once.