Hoffenheim's Europa League hopes were dealt a severe blow as Eintracht Frankfurt climbed up to 10th with a 3-1 victory at the Commerzbank Arena.
A vulnerable Hoffenheim defence invited pressure in the early stages, but it was a moment of brilliance which produced the opening goal as Bastian Oczipka picked out the top corner with a free kick.
Their lead was doubled before the half-hour mark as Marc Stendera held the ball up before picking out Haris Seferovic, who converted from close range.
A disastrous first-half performance from Hoffenheim continued as Frankfurt added a third 10 minutes before the break. Timothy Chandler capitalised on poor marking to head home from Oczipka's short corner.
Despite being completely dominated throughout the opening 45 minutes, Hoffenheim found a way back into the match early in the second half when Kevin Volland curled a free kick in from the edge of the box.
The visitors enjoyed a long spell on top after reducing the deficit, but the Frankfurt defence responded impressively to limit the chances on offer as the comeback failed to gain momentum.
After soaking up the pressure, it was Frankfurt who could have scored more in the closing stages as Takashi Inui fired wide before Oliver Baumann denied Seferovic in stoppage time.
Callum Mulvihill
