BERLIN, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Eintracht Frankfurt cruised 4-1 past nine-man Lazio to clinch the second consecutive win owing to Danny da Costa's double strike in Europa League's Group H on Thursday.
The "Eagles" secured a fairy-tale start on home soil as Danny da Costa tapped home Jonathan de Guzman's corner kick with just four minutes into the clash.
Lazio regrouped and responded well despite the early setback as Marco Parolo finished off Joaquin Correa's square pass into the box to level the score in the 23rd minute.
Both sides staged a lively see-saw encounter but still Frankfurt secured the 2-1 lead five minutes later when Filiip Kostic made the most out of Mijat Gacinovic's assist in the 28th minute.
To make things worse, Lazio had to complete the first half with 10-man as Dusan Basta received his marching orders after booking his second yellow card of the night for repeated foul play.
After the restart, Eintracht Frankfurt came out highly motivated and extended their lead after Luka Jovic chipped the ball over Lazio goalkeeper Silvio Proto following Sebatien Haller's build-up work.
Things went from bad to worse for the visitors, as Joaquin Correa saw a straight red card for a rude foul play to Jonathan de Guzman in the 58th minute.
The hosts controlled the proceedings on the pitch due to their numerical advantage and Danny da Costa wrapped up his brace in the injury time to sink Lazio 4-1.
"We staged a great performance today. Lazio is a good team but their two sent-offs played into our hands of course. Nevertheless, we scored some fine goals and are very satisfied with the second win in a row. I am incredibly proud of our players," Eintracht Frankfurt's sporting director Fredi Bobic said.
With the victory, Eintracht Frankfurt moved atop the standings with six points in Group H followed by Lazio (3 points), Apollon Limassol (1 point) and Olympique de Marseille (1 point).
