Bundesliga action
January 22, 2011
Mladen Petric's second-half goal gave Hamburg a 1-0 win over visiting Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Friday, January 21.
With all eyes on Hamburg's Ruud van Nistelrooy, rumored to be on the verge of rejoining Real Madrid after the Spanish club came calling, Petric slid in to connect with an Anis Ben-Hatira cross in the 65th minute for his fifth goal of the season.
Frankfurt, missing half a dozen starting players through injury and suspension, hardly ventured forward and relied exclusively on rare quick breaks from striker Fanis Gekas.
Van Nistelrooy put in a lackluster performance in what may have been his last game for the club. The hosts were lacking the final touch, despite dominating possession, until Petric came on in the second half.
The 30-year-old Croatian came close to scoring another goal 12 minutes from time but his low drive sailed just wide of the post.
The win provided some good news for Hamburg hours after former Germany international Matthias Sammer surprisingly rejected their offer to join as sports director and opted to stay with the German soccer federation until 2013.
Bundesliga runaway leaders Borussia Dortmund host Stuttgart and champions Bayern Munich are at home against Kaiserslautern on Saturday.
Author: Joanna Impey (AP, dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Toma Tasovac