In front of Nagelsmann
No winner in the duel between the European Cup starters: In an intense battle of attrition, Eintracht Frankfurt and SC Freiburg ended goalless at the end of the 5th matchday in the Bundesliga. After the fourth draw in a row in front of 55,800 spectators, the Hessians remain unbeaten this season and are in eighth place in the table with seven points. Directly behind them are the Breisgauers with the same points.
Under the eyes of new national coach Julian Nagelsmann, who was officially introduced as Hansi Flick’s successor on Friday, Mario Götze initially only sat on the bench at Eintracht. “Mario played for a very long time. That’s why I wouldn’t make it a big deal that he’s out now,” said Eintracht coach Dino Toppmöller before kick-off about the former world champion’s unusual substitute role.
National goalkeeper Kevin Trapp was able to distinguish himself right from the start with a header from Ritsu Doan. However, it remained Freiburg’s only dangerous action for a long time, with defender Manuel Gulde having to pass shortly before the start due to circulatory problems and being replaced by Kiliann Sildillia.
Frankfurt was the more active team, but was hardly able to create any compelling chances. The best opportunity came from Fares Chaibi, whose shot was deflected by SC goalkeeper Noah Atubolu for a corner. Shortly before, the home team had vehemently called for a penalty after Lukas Kübler hit Aurelio Buta in the penalty area, but referee Felix Zwayer’s whistle remained silent.
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Shortly before the break things got tricky again when Zwayer tried to get video evidence of a possible red card after a foul by junior Dinah Ebimbe on Sildillia. According to the TV images, the experienced FIFA referee left the Frankfurter with the initial warning.
The Hessians started the second half with their greatest opportunity to date when Omar Marmoush’s low shot was denied by Atubolu, who reacted strongly. On the other side, Freiburg’s two half-chances also failed to lead to success. By bringing in Götze, Eintracht increased the pressure on the offensive, but the visitors’ defense remained solid and hardly allowed anything to happen. Frankfurt’s attacking efforts usually ended just outside the opponent’s penalty area.
The only time things got heated in the final phase was a pack formation in which Trapp and Maximilian Eggestein clashed intensely. Both received a yellow card for this. A goal by Junior Adamu in stoppage time was disallowed for offside.
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