Into the channels: 07/12/2014

Eintracht Frankfurt 5 - 2 Werder Bremen

Four o'clock brought the Split derby, Lens vs Lille, the Barcelona derby, and the Quito derby. Oh, and Aston Villa vs Leicester City, a game with significant implications for the Premier League sack race.

Four thirty brought Eintracht Frankfurt vs Werder Bremen.

A week ago, Frankfurt beat Dortmund 2-0, and Bremen defeated Paderborn 4-0.

Werder have 1 win in 10 away games, and are second-bottom as play got under way. But under Viktor Skripnik, who played under current Frankfurt manager Thomas Schaaf (as did Skripnik's assistant, Torsten Frings), they are having a mini-renaissance.

Haris Seferović and Alex Maier have 12 goals between them for Frankfurt, meaning they start ahead of Lucas Piazon, Vaclev Kadlec, and Nelson Haedo Valdéz. Bremen had, erm, well, Franco Di Santo was injured, so... Goals vs youth, basically.

Another Werder injury: Prodl off, Candirola on

Three free kicks from Frankfurt were the closest we came to a goal in the opening quarter, this one the best. Alex Meier struck it along the floor, through the wall, and straight at Wolf in the Bremen goal.

Meier: denied

Aigner's lack of decisiveness let Frankfurt down as they attacked again

Eintracht wasteful: Inui heads against the post from a Timothy Chandler cross, after 32 minutes

More wastefulness, and finally a goal: Seferović hits the post, and Meier scores the rebound

Frankfurt deserved their lead, but should have had more. A great Anderson Bamba interception prevented Austrian international Zlatko Junuzović from getting in from a well-weighted ball through the heart of the Frankfurt defence, in Werder's best attack, a minute before the break. His toe poke gave Werder a corner.

Junuzović delivered, and Gebre Selassie was there to head in, unmarked.

Werder: efficient

As if to make the point that Frankfurt deserved to lead at half-time, Seferović had a shot on goal almost right after the kick-off. It went wide, and so it was 1-1 at the break.

Seferović: not quite making a point

Aigner's delivery lets down Seferović

Just before the hour, Werder keeper Raphael Wolf had to come off. He was claiming to be injured, though it may have been that he was just really embarrassed, seeing as he'd taken a knock after missing the cross that had allowed Seferović to put Frankfurt back in front.

Missed it

That'll be an injury

Debutant Richard Strebinger

Aigner flicks Bamba's header over the bar

Former St Pauli winger Fin Bartels, in Werder's first bit of pressure in the second half, turned in the area, but hit his shot straight at Wiedwald. Another quick break a couple of minutes later, and another shot struck right at a Frankfurt defender, Bamba there again.

Felix Kroos hits the post, reminding Die Adler that Die Werderaner are still in this, with the score at 2-1

But Eintracht Frankfurt are more in it than you! Meier scores his 10th of the season, after Seferović hits the post

Aigner, 18 minutes to go: just stop it

Aigner finally scores, with this nutmeg

Bartels cuts back to Candirola, who makes it 4-2

Impressive German U20 international Marc Stendera makes it 5-2, with 10 minutes still to play

88th minute: Junuzović hits the bar

I promise you, this is a depiction of a separate incident, also involving a Werder player hitting the bar

To give you a flavour of the intensity of the second half of this match, in stoppage time alone, Seferović almost scored, heading just wide, and then down the other end, Junuzović headed against the bar. Again.

Seven goals, six shots against the woodwork. Time for a lie down. Time for some French football.


Olympique de Marseille 3 - 1 FC Metz

It was a cold night for Frenchmen

Gaëtan Bussmann was a busy man. The Metz left back had to deal with OM's right winger Florian Thauvin. Within the first half an hour, he had barged both France U21 international Thauvin and his experienced colleague Andre-Pierre Gignac off the ball. He and the rest of Les Grenats' defence were going to have to have a solid game if they were to deny Gignac, Thauvin and Ayew. Up at the other end, Metz had former Chelsea man Florent Malouda and Juan Manuel Falcon trying to start something.

It's a Falcon, Richard!

Richard, it's Florent Malouda!

France international midfielder Dimitri Payet whistled a shot over Johann Carrasso's goal to start us off.

Meanwhile, Metz's first threat came from a free kick, headed back across goal and towards Guirane N'Daw, who was put off by a high foot. Their second came a couple of minutes later, Malouda cutting in from the right flank, and shooting from outside the area, Mandanda saving with his feet.

Richard!!!!!!

Shortly before half time (and I wish I could say more had happened in between), a Gignac header gave OM the lead. It was a very irritating goal to see Metz concede, as their three defenders should have been able to deal with the three Marseille players in the box, but instead they got confused by their opponents' running, and N'Daw lost track of Gignac, allowing him an easy finish.

Right after half time (nothing much happened in the middle, Gignac's former France teammate Malouda received the ball after a pass from River Plate loanee Federico Andrada was deflected on the edge of the Marseille area. His strike goalwards was intercepted by the leg of Nicolas N'Koulou, but it still headed towards Steve Mandanda's goal, only now in the opposite direction to the one he was heading in. And thus, it was 1-1.

Thus, Richard

Metz, at times, were defending in two lines. Their bank of 6 defenders was pressed back by Gignac, Ayew, and Thauvin, whilst their second stood just ahead of Payet, or whoever had the ball. Often, it was Payet. The remaining Marseille midfielders and full backs darted in between the lines, trying to provide Payet with a passing option.

The goal that put Marseille back in front came from a corner, and was the consequence of more static defending by Metz. Alaixys Romao had plenty of the goal to aim at when the man at the back post found him on the edge of the area. His side-footed shot rebounded off the post, coming to Andre Ayew, who had enough time to chest the ball down and slot it home.

Ayew wheels away... Richard

Metz had quite a few opportunities from free kicks, but they didn't have the same nous for chaos that Marseille did. Another Gignac header was the next good chance, and with twenty minutes to play, the game started to slow down. Of Metz's substitutes, Belarussian international Sergei Krivets, threatened with a good run at left back Benjamin Mendy. Malouda worked incredibly hard, both in defence and in all of Metz's attacks, to join play up. But this was a side not slick enough in midfield, and not clever enough in its off the ball movement, to take a point off of a hard-working Marseille. When Yeni Ngbakoto joined Andrada up front in the second half, there may have been a lot of running, but they had less chemistry than Gignac would have had playing up front with an empty test tube, and the balls forward from N'Daw and Doukouré rarely threatened to find them.

InterSport: sponsors of wrestling interventions in football (Richard)

An eighth home win in a row was sealed when Rod Fanni stole possession in the centre of midfield, and passed to Payet, who came up with a simple chip from the edge of the area, to make it 3-1.

Simple

Marseille head back to the top of the table. Gignac and Payet will be crucial for them if they are to hold off PSG, and win another.