analysis
The Champions League can come: In the sovereign victory of Eintracht Frankfurt against RB Leipzig, not only Mario Götze presented himself in top form.
It was the 89th minute of the game when the north-west curve finally switched to party mode. A few moments before the final whistle, the first home win of the season was within reach, a medley of the most popular songs rang out from the epicenter of the fan base.
European Cup this year, Eintracht Frankfurt international and finally – as a kind of grand finale – an XXL version of the Eintracht Frankfurt waltz. The supporters swayed for minutes in the stands, the pros on the pitch joined in after the game was over. And at that moment it was clear to everyone: the timing could be worse, the Champions League is coming at exactly the right time.
Historical: Eintracht Frankfurt plays Champions League on Wednesday
But before things get historic on Wednesday (6.45 p.m.) with the home game against Sporting Lisbon and the first premier class appearance in the history of the Frankfurt club, the Hessians should take enough time to appreciate their performance on Saturday evening. That 4-0 (2-0) against RB Leipzigthis second Bundesliga victory in a row, was the footballing exclamation mark of a team that has not always been showered with praise.
“Wow”, Oliver Glasner summed up the 90 minutes in a nutshell. The list of things that the coach liked best – but it was a bit longer: “Great offensive performance, enthusiasm for the game, creativity, super depth in the game, great discipline, exceptionally good defensive performance.” And that’s not all.
Glasner (rightly) insisted on referring to the most striking of all statistics: In the entire game, the guests from Leipzig had just four shots on goal, not a single one of which went to the goal of Eintracht keeper Kevin Trapp. All a matter of recently hotly discussed defensive formation? Not for the coach: “It has nothing to do with three, four or five players. The whole team works incredibly well.”
So good that the Saxons, who were actually much stronger, seemed inhibited and sometimes unsettled for long stretches, their otherwise above-average offensive power in the person of Christopher Nkunku or Timo Werner did not unfold in any case. RBL coach Domenico Tedesco changed the system several times during the game, first from a 3-4-1-2 to a 4-4-2 with a diamond and later to a 4-2-3-1.
Cream ball by Mario Götze initiates the 1-0
The hosts, however, stayed cool, made only minimal adjustments and delighted their trainer on the sidelines with the right behavior. “It’s not important what we do,” says Glasner, “but how we do it.” Spoilers: not that bad.
While the newly formed back four had to be reformed again and Christopher Lenz came along on the left instead of Luca Pellegrini (muscular problems), the Frankfurters exuded pure joy of play and offense with almost every attack they made. The best proof: 1:0 by Daichi Kamada (16th), set up by double assistant Randal Kolo Muani and initiated by a cream ball from match winner Mario Götze.
The 2014 World Champion showed all his skills in this scene when he lobbed the ball – still halfway out of the turn – with a lot of flair and even more feeling in the right foot into the Leipzig penalty area. A moment that gave the Eintracht game wings. And exactly that is actually reserved for RB in terms of drinks and marketing.
Götze was also instrumental in the third goal, in which the Hessians had made it 2-0 through captain Sebastian Rode (22nd): In a partially rehearsed corner kick variant, the unguarded midfielder left a Leipzig opponent on the edge of the penalty area with just one exit body movement. Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi was able to fend off Götze’s shot, but he had no chance when Tuta’s follow-up shot from a suspected offside position (67′).
Rafael Borre scores too
With Rafael Borré, a fourth professional entered the top scorer list in the final phase (84th penalty kick). This is one of the reasons why the coach was very keen to emphasize team performance. “I’d rather talk about the team than individual players,” said Glasner. That didn’t detract from the Frankfurt party mode. And the anticipation of the Champions League anyway.
