Randal Kolo Muani's first-half double fired Eintracht Frankfurt into fifth place as they beat Hertha Berlin 3-0 at the Deutsche Bank Park.

Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 Hertha Berlin
Goals: 1-0 Kolo Muani 21' 2-0 Kolo Muani 28' (assist: Lindstrom), 3-0 Buta 90' + 4

Die Adler came into the game knowing a victory would close the gap to the UEFA Champions League qualification spots, and they looked comfortable from the word go. They dominated possession early on and often found themselves in dangerous positions, but the right final pass was often lacking. Kolo Muani, though, has often been Frankfurt's hero this campaign, and he once again made the difference, forcing Hertha defender Filip Uremovic into a foul in the penalty area before dispatching the subsequent spot-kick. Soon after, the Frenchman had his second goal of the game and ninth in the Bundesliga this term when he buried Jesper Lindstrom's through-ball beyond Oliver Christensen and into the corner.

Kolo Muani thought he had a third less than 10 minutes into the second half, but he received the ball in an offside position before rounding Christensen and tapping into an empty net. Tuta also had a goal chalked off, and those two incidents appeared to kick the visitors into gear as they went in search of a way back into the game. Their best chance came via Jessic Ngankam, whose effort was cleared off the line. As the game progressed, Sandro Schwarz's men committed more players forward, allowing Frankfurt to threaten on the counter. Mario Götze should have taken advantage on more than one occasion, first seeing an effort saved by Christensen before chipping just past the post. In the end, it was Aurelio Buta who completed the scoring, slotting into the corner from outside the box. As such, the UEFA Europa League holders continue to impress towards the top of the table, while Hertha remain without a point in 2023 and sit 17th in the table.

Randal Kolo Muani (l.) and Jesper Lindstrom (r.) were influential in Frankfurt's victory. - IMAGO/Oliver Vogler/IMAGO/Jan Huebner

Match stats

• Kolo Muani is the first player to score four Bundesliga goals in 2023, while this was his first brace for Frankfurt since his summer arrival.
• Frankfurt are unbeaten in their last seven league games, their best run under Oliver Glasner.
• The victors now have 35 points from 19 Bundesliga games, their best-ever tally at this point in a season.
• Marvin Plattenhardt made his 200th Bundesliga appearance, while Maximilian Mittelstädt played his 150th match for the club in all competitions.
• Hertha have now gone more than four hours without a goal, and have scored just once this calendar year so far.
• Die Alte Dame have lost seven of their last eight games in the top flight.

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Teams

Frankfurt: Trapp – Tuta, Hasebe (c), N'Dicka – Buta, Kamada (Rode 69'), Sow (Jakic 90'), Max (Lenz 69') – Lindstrom (Borre 69'), Götze – Kolo Muani (Alario 84')
Subs: Ramaj, Smolcic, Chandler, Knauff
Out: Alidou (ankle), Dina Ebimbe (ankle), Wenig (metatarsal)
Coach: Oliver Glasner

Hertha: Christensen – Kenny (Cigerci 46'), Uremovic, Kempf, Plattenhardt (c) (Mittelstädt 46') – Tousart (Boateng 80'), Serdar – Richter, Boetius, Lukebakio (Ngankam 46') – Niederlechner (Scherhant 76')
Subs: Ernst, Dardai, Sunjic, Eitschberger
Out: Ejuke (knee), Jarstein (not considered), Jovetic (muscular), Nsona (knee), Pekarik (hip), Rogel (knee)
Coach: Sandro Schwarz

About the clubs

Hertha BSC

Olympiastadion

Eintracht Frankfurt

Deutsche Bank Park