BERLIN: Omar Marmoush scored a goal in each half as Eintracht Frankfurt won 4-0 at Heidenheim on Sunday, cutting the gap on Bayern Munich to four points.
Marmoush's brace continued his stunning form this season. The Egyptian forward now has 13 goals in 12 games, sitting one behind leader Harry Kane on the scoring charts.
Bayern's 1-1 draw at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, in which Kane was subbed off early with injury, gave second-placed Frankfurt a chance to move closer to the league leaders.
Marmoush gave Frankfurt the lead after 22 minutes, getting onto a Nathaniel Brown pass and slotting home on the break.
Fares Chaibi added a second, again thanks to some good lead-up work from Brown, before Marmoush sealed the result with his second on the 58-minute mark.
In addition to sitting high on the scoring charts, the 25-year-old Marmoush has a league-high seven assists this campaign.
French forward Hugo Ekitike added a fourth deep into stoppage time to add shine to the result – his sixth goal of the season.
"We had very good control from the start," Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmoeller told DAZN after his side's seventh win in a row.
"You never had the feeling that it was going to be dangerous."
Frankfurt now sit second, four behind Bayern and three ahead of champions Bayer Leverkusen, who won away at Union Berlin on Saturday.
Frankfurt face two-time winners RB Leipzig in the German Cup on Wednesday.
Days after hosting Chelsea in the Europa Conference League and losing 2-0, Heidenheim sit third-last in the Bundesliga table – the relegation play-off spot.
Earlier on Sunday, a first-half double from Germany forward Jonathan Burkardt helped Mainz climb up to seventh with a 2-0 home win over Hoffenheim. - AFP