Played
September 25, 2012 2:00 PM EDT
Commerzbank-Arena — Frankfurt am Main
Referee: F. Meyer
Attendance: 51500
September 25, 2012 2:00 PM EDT
Commerzbank-Arena — Frankfurt am Main
Referee: F. Meyer
Attendance: 51500
Top of the Match
Takashi Inui
Eintracht
Eintracht
Takashi Inui
Eintracht
Eintracht
Flop of the Match
Robert Lewandowski
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Robert Lewandowski
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Goal.com Rating 
Fans' Rating Frankfurt 3-3 Borussia Dortmund: Gotze strikes but champions lose ground in Bundesliga race
The defending champions led 2-0 and 3-2, but could not close out victory against the Bundesliga's second-placed side
By Robin Bairner
Getty Images
Borussia Dortmund ended Eintracht Frankfurt’s perfect Bundesliga run this season but may live to regret its defensive fragility in a devilishly exciting 3-3 draw at the Commerzbank-Arena.
Although the defending champions rarely looked completely comfortable against their buoyant hosts, first-half goals from Lukasz Piszczek and Marco Reus seemed to have subdued the newly promoted outfit.
Stefan Aigner gave Eintracht some hope immediately after the restart, and a matter of seconds later the home team had drawn level via the outstanding Takashi Inui. Mario Gotze pushed BVB back into the lead, but Anderson headed Armin Veh’s men back to parity.
The opening stages of the encounter hinted towards the topsy-turvey nature of this contest, with Moritz Leitner stinging the palms of Kevin Trapp before Inui raced to the other end of the field to fire narrowly wide.
Dortmund was controlling the match so it was little surprise the club grabbed the lead, although there can be little doubt that there was more than a hint of luck about Piszczek’s opener as his shot took two deflections before finding its way into the net.
Shortly afterwards, Reus completed a flowing move in terrific style by fizzing a low shot into the corner of the home net.
Both sides might have registered before the break, but it was Frankfurt which started the second period in the more positive fashion, and it would be rewarded as it quickly drew level.
Aigner might have been a peripheral figure in the first period, but he found himself stationed in a good position on the corner of the box as the sprightly Inui galloped away from the Dortmund midfield and fed him a pass. Given a sight of goal, he made no error, burying the ball into the corner of the net.
A matter of 90 seconds later, the right-sided midfielder repaid the favor, delivering a cross to the far post where Inui was left unchecked to head past the helpless Roman Weidenfeller.
The match was incredibly open at this point, and Dortmund were quick to respond, with Gotze, who had come on for the injured Reus at the break, finishing coolly after a defensive slip.
Eintracht was not to be denied its point, though. Bastian Oczipka had struggled to defend down his flank all evening but he made amends with 20 minutes remaining as his cross was headed deftly home by Anderson.
Nevan Subotic nearly gave the game a terrific climax with a stoppage-time overhead kick, but it was headed from the line.
Come full-time, Dortmund was happy to escape with a point, yet it is already seven points off the pace set by Bayern Munich, and reclaiming the crown for a third term is already looking an increasingly difficult task.
Although the defending champions rarely looked completely comfortable against their buoyant hosts, first-half goals from Lukasz Piszczek and Marco Reus seemed to have subdued the newly promoted outfit.
Stefan Aigner gave Eintracht some hope immediately after the restart, and a matter of seconds later the home team had drawn level via the outstanding Takashi Inui. Mario Gotze pushed BVB back into the lead, but Anderson headed Armin Veh’s men back to parity.
The opening stages of the encounter hinted towards the topsy-turvey nature of this contest, with Moritz Leitner stinging the palms of Kevin Trapp before Inui raced to the other end of the field to fire narrowly wide.
Dortmund was controlling the match so it was little surprise the club grabbed the lead, although there can be little doubt that there was more than a hint of luck about Piszczek’s opener as his shot took two deflections before finding its way into the net.
Shortly afterwards, Reus completed a flowing move in terrific style by fizzing a low shot into the corner of the home net.
Both sides might have registered before the break, but it was Frankfurt which started the second period in the more positive fashion, and it would be rewarded as it quickly drew level.
Aigner might have been a peripheral figure in the first period, but he found himself stationed in a good position on the corner of the box as the sprightly Inui galloped away from the Dortmund midfield and fed him a pass. Given a sight of goal, he made no error, burying the ball into the corner of the net.
A matter of 90 seconds later, the right-sided midfielder repaid the favor, delivering a cross to the far post where Inui was left unchecked to head past the helpless Roman Weidenfeller.
The match was incredibly open at this point, and Dortmund were quick to respond, with Gotze, who had come on for the injured Reus at the break, finishing coolly after a defensive slip.
Eintracht was not to be denied its point, though. Bastian Oczipka had struggled to defend down his flank all evening but he made amends with 20 minutes remaining as his cross was headed deftly home by Anderson.
Nevan Subotic nearly gave the game a terrific climax with a stoppage-time overhead kick, but it was headed from the line.
Come full-time, Dortmund was happy to escape with a point, yet it is already seven points off the pace set by Bayern Munich, and reclaiming the crown for a third term is already looking an increasingly difficult task.
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Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stefan Kießling Striker Bayer Leverkusen |
25 | 4 |
|
Robert Lewandowski Striker Borussia Dortmund |
24 | 1 |
|
Alexander Meier Midfielder Eintracht Frankfurt |
17 | 3 |
|
Vedad Ibisevic Striker VfB Stuttgart |
15 | 5 |
|
Mario Mandzukic Striker FC Bayern München |
15 | 0 |
