Undav scores again as Stuttgart sink Frankfurt to go third

Deniz Undav maintained his impressive run of form with another goal, while Nikolas Nartey secured a vital late winner, as Stuttgart defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2 at home on Tuesday to rise to third in the Bundesliga.

Frankfurt opened the scoring early through a curling header by Rasmus Kristensen, yet Ermedin Demirovic capitalised on a goalkeeper blunder, and a deflected strike from Undav enabled Stuttgart to seize control before the break.

Frankfurt's Bundesliga newcomer Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab restored parity, but Nartey's effort in the 87th minute, marking his first goal in the competition, returned the advantage to the home side.

This result propelled the German Cup winners up to third spot, trailing second-placed Borussia Dortmund by just one point, with Dortmund due to entertain Werder Bremen later that Tuesday.

After achieving third place last season, their strongest performance in 30 years, Frankfurt have encountered challenges this campaign.

Kristensen rose to meet a corner and head Frankfurt ahead inside five minutes, though their goalkeeper Kaua Santos fumbled a simple take, permitting Demirovic to bundle the ball over the line and level the scores.

Undav handed his team the lead with ten minutes remaining until half-time, outsmarting the Frankfurt rearguard before unleashing a low drive that heavily deflected into the bottom corner.

With nine goals and two assists from his previous eight league matches, Undav drew a pair of outstanding saves from Santos and clipped the post narrowly during the second period.

Amaimouni-Echghouyab equalised merely three minutes into his introduction, only for Nartey to respond promptly with a debut strike of his own, prodding home from near range.

Meanwhile, the clash between Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen fell victim to a postponement announced two hours before kick-off, the third such Bundesliga cancellation in a week amid fierce winter storms battering northern Germany.