Curiosity among TSG goalkeepers
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Eintracht Frankfurt forfeited their next win by conceding a late goal. Coach Dino Toppmöller’s team only managed a 2-2 (1-0) draw at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The third-place team missed out on their fourth Bundesliga win this year.
In front of 30,150 spectators in the sold-out Sinsheim stadium, Hugo Ekitiké scored with a penalty kick (26th minute) and in the 71st minute against a weakened Kraichgauer, who had to replace national goalkeeper Oliver Baumann, among others. Joker Gift Orban (65th) and Adam Hlozek (90th + 5) each equalized.
Baumann’s representative Luca Philipp was under special observation during his debut in the upper house: The 24-year-old made a mistake in the DFB Cup game against the Würzburger Kickers, but he made no mistakes against Eintracht. Curiously, his younger brother Tim was the substitute keeper on the bench. Captain Baumann will be out for several weeks due to a tendon injury in his foot – a bitter loss for Hoffenheim, who are still in a relegation battle.
Eintracht started without their new striker Elye Wahi. The 22-year-old Frenchman came from Olympique Marseille at the end of the week for a fee of 26 million euros. In the third competitive game without their striker Omar Marmoush, who had moved to Manchester City, the Frankfurt team were not very convincing.
In the duel between the two Europa League participants – the strong Eintracht completed the preliminary round on Thursday at AS Roma, the weak TSG at RSC Anderlecht – the hosts started with great determination. Andrej Kramaric shot wide on a counterattack opportunity; Hlozek hit the crossbar after just six minutes.
But the Frankfurt team scored the first goal – after a VAR decision: Kevin Akpoguma hit Ekitiké on the back of the ball in the penalty area. Referee Sascha Stegemann looked at the scene again on the screen and then pointed to the spot. Ekitiké himself stepped up and made it 1-0. The fact that the Frenchman then sat down on the advertising board directly in front of the south curve, grinning, naturally angered the TSG fans behind them.
Hoffenheim had ended a series of nine competitive games without a win with a 3-1 win in Kiel the weekend before, but was now, as so often this season, chasing a deficit.
Again, Hlozek and Max Moerstedt could have equalized before the break when Frankfurt were just able to throw themselves into their shots. Too harmless in the end – that once again ran through the TSG game.
After the break, Eintracht tried to control the game, but things went rather slowly going forward. At the back, goalkeeper Kevin Trapp had to scrape the ball off the line after Anton Stach finished. After the equalizer from substitute Orban, Kramaric only hit the post. In quick response, Ekitiké scored his eleventh goal of the season. But Hlozek let TSG celebrate in stoppage time.