Aaron Opoku's thunderous 55th-minute finish sparked a Braunschweig fightback, but Arminia Bielefeld had too much in a 3-1 win.
German-Ghanaian forward Aaron Opoku did his part on the road, firing home a fierce second-half goal for Eintracht Braunschweig, but it wasn't enough to avoid a 3-1 defeat at Arminia Bielefeld in the 2. Bundesliga.
Bielefeld came out sharp at the SchücoArena and struck first in the 24th minute. Maximilian Großer rose to meet Arne Sicker's cross and headed home. Just three minutes later, Joel Grodowski applied the finish to Jannik Rochelt's delivery, and the hosts had a commanding two-goal cushion before the break.
Braunschweig coach Lars Kornetka reacted at the interval with three changes, and the visitors came out with more purpose. Opoku was at the heart of the revival. Picking up a pass from Max Marie, he unleashed a powerful strike into the bottom-left corner in the 55th minute to cut the deficit and give the away side a real sniff of a comeback.
The momentum didn't last. In the 68th minute, Grodowski bagged his second of the night, converting a Monju Momuluh assist to restore Bielefeld's two-goal lead and effectively close the contest. Opoku was withdrawn in the 77th minute after a lively display, one of the few bright spots for his side.
The result is another setback for Braunschweig, while Bielefeld climb to 14 points in the league table. For Opoku, the goal will be a welcome positive, even if the final scoreline left him with little to celebrate.
