It was a physical game right from the out-set and after just a quarter hour VfB captain Matthieu Delpierre was shown the red card by referee Wolfgang Stark for violent conduct following a clash with Eintract captain Maik Franz. The home side pressed in search of an opener and went close through Meier, with a headed effort, and then a deflected free-kick by Pirmin Schwegler which zipped narrowly wide of the post. VfB’s only real chance of the half came after 29 minutes when Christian Träsch slipped a pass through to Shinji Okazaki, who was then denied by Frankfurt keeper Ralf Fährmann. It was the final major chance of the first period and so, the sides went into the break deadlocked at 0-0.
 

Quick free-kick foils Frankfurt
 
The side from Hessen had the better of the early part of the second half too. A long ball forward by Schwegler found Gekas, whose shot struck the inside of the post and rebounded back into play. On the hour mark, Sven Ulreich had to react quickly to turn a Martin Fenin header away for a corner but then VfB raised their game decidedly. A quickly taken free-kick by Martin Harnik found substitute Timo Gebhart, who drove his shot goal-wards. Färhmann was merely able to parry the powerful shot and Harnik pounced on the loose ball, rounded the stranded keeper and slotted home to make it 1-0 (64’). Just four minutes later, Kuzmanovic intercepted a Fährmann clearance, played a neat one-two with Tamas Hajnal and then got a strong shot away. A defensive leg blocked the initial effort but the ball then fell kindly for Tamas Hajnal, who lobbed the keeper to make it 2-0 for VfB (68’).