BERLIN: Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush continued his blistering run of form in the Bundesliga on Sunday with an assist and a goal in his side's 3-2 win away to Stuttgart.
The Egyptian international enjoyed a dream return to former club Stuttgart, setting up Frankfurt's first goal and scoring their third in a rollercoaster game.
Marmoush, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool in recent weeks, has now notched up 14 goals and 10 assists in all competitions this season.
With 11 of those having come in the league, he is now level with Bayern Munich's Harry Kane at the top of the Bundesliga scoring charts.
"Omar always wants to win, regardless of whether it's a Bundesliga game or a training match," Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmoeller told DAZN after the game.
The win saw Frankfurt remain in third, six points adrift of league leaders Bayern Munich and three ahead of reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen.
Meanwhile, last season's runners-up Stuttgart are now wallowing in mid-table having won only three of their first 10 games.
After surviving an early chance for Marmoush after just three minutes, Stuttgart had the better of the first half and were unfortunate not to take the lead themselves.
The home fans twice had their celebrations cut short in the first half-hour, as Ermedin Demirovic missed a penalty and Julian Chabot had a headed goal ruled out for offside.
Enzo Millot also grazed the bar on 38 minutes, but it was Frankfurt who finally broke the deadlock just before the break.
As the clock ticked over into added time, Marmoush picked out strike partner Hugo Ekitike with a venomous corner, and the French striker smashed in an unstoppable header.
Nathaniel Brown doubled Frankfurt's lead 10 minutes into the second half, prodding home from close range after Ansgar Knauff unlocked the Stuttgart defence with a mazy run from midfield.
Marmoush then added a third just after the hour, curling in an unstoppable direct free-kick from around 25 metres.
The goal proved to be decisive as Stuttgart almost launched a miraculous comeback in the dying minutes of the game.
Josha Vagnoman snatched one back for the home side on 86 minutes, before Nick Woltemade prodded home a second four minutes later.
Chris Fuehrich sent Stuttgart into ecstasy when he buried the ball in the back of the net seven minutes into added time, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
"It was brutal today, but football is like that sometimes," said Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness.
In Sunday's late game, Wolfsburg held on to win 3-1 away to Heidenheim and pull away from the relegation zone.
Yannick Gerhardt gave the visitors the lead with the first shot of the game after just three minutes, before Bence Dardai doubled the lead just before half-time.
Marvin Pieringer's second-half strike wasn't enough for Heidenheim, and Tiago Tomas sealed the win for Wolfsburg in the 90th minute.
Elsewhere, Hoffenheim's Pavel Kaderabek picked up the joint-fastest yellow card in Bundesliga history during his side's 0-0 draw with Augsburg.
Former Czech international Kaderabek was booked after just eight seconds for a high elbow against Augsburg's Dimitris Giannoulis, equalling a record previously held by former Freiburg striker Florian Niederlechner.
The early yellow proved to be the most notable event in an otherwise forgettable game, as the two southern sides cancelled each other out on a chilly afternoon in Augsburg.
The draw left both teams in the bottom half of the table, with Hoffenheim just a point clear of the bottom three in 15th. - AFP