Frankfurt warms up for Tottenham with a 3-0 win over Heidenheim in Bundesliga

By Canadian Press on April 13, 2025.

BERLIN (AP) — Hugo Ekitiké starred as Eintracht Frankfurt warmed up for Tottenham in the Europa League with a 3-0 win over Heidenheim in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Ekitiké sealed the victory with the third goal after setting up Robin Koch for the second, helping Frankfurt consolidate its position as the third-best team in Germany and the likely Champions League qualification that will bring.

The league’s top four qualify for Europe’s premier club competition.

Ekitiké has taken on more responsibility since strike partner Omar Marmoush left in January for Manchester City, helping Frankfurt show it’s just as competitive without the Egypt forward who scored 15 goals in 17 league appearances before his departure.

Ekitiké scored for Frankfurt to draw at Tottenham 1-1 in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals and now has 21 goals across all competitions this season.

Jean-Matteo Bahoya opened the scoring Sunday on a counterattack in the 10th minute and Ekitiké laid the ball off for Koch to double the lead before the break.

The French forward sealed the win in the 71st. Ekitiké received a long kickout from goalkeeper Kaua Santos, then the ball fell to Fares Chaibi, who sent the ball through for Nathaniel Brown to run onto and cross for Ekitiké’s simple finish.

Frankfurt hosts Tottenham in the second leg on Thursday.

Stuttgart’s home trouble continues

Oliver Burke scored in the last minute for Werder Bremen to win 2-1 and condemn Stuttgart to its fifth consecutive Bundesliga loss at home.

Stuttgart was holding on following the debatable sending off of Nick Woltemade with his second yellow card in the 56th minute, but it looked like the home team had done enough for the draw until Leonardo Bittencourt set up Burke to score his second goal in the 90th minute.

Leonidas Stergiou got Stuttgart off to a good start in the 19th before Burke equalized in the 32nd.

Bremen pushed harder for the winner in the final minutes after Woltemade’s sending off, and Burke duly rewarded the visitors’ efforts.

It’s the first time Stuttgart has lost five Bundesliga games in a row at home.

Stuttgart finished runner-up last season but has lost as many games, 11, as it has won this season. Sebastian Hoeneß’ team is five points off the European qualification places with five rounds remaining.

Bayern Munich leads by six points from defending champion Bayer Leverkusen after its 2-2 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

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The Associated Press