The dream journey continues: With an impressive energy performance and great morale, the “Euro-Adler” from Eintracht Frankfurt fought their way into the round of 16 in the Champions League.
In the “final” for progression, coach Oliver Glasner’s team came back from a deficit of 2-1 (0-1) at Sporting Lisbon and thus made it into the top 16 teams in Europe in their first premier class participation.
Daichi Kamada (62′, penalty kick) and Randal Kolo Muani (72′) scored in the Estadio Jose Alvalade to win the game of fate for the Hessian Champions League debutant after Arthur Gomes (39′) put the Portuguese ahead in the first half .
“This is the next highlight for Eintracht Frankfurt. The game was suitable for all the emotions,” said the outstanding Sebastian Rode.
The move into the next round brings the club a warm shower of money in the amount of 9.6 million euros, eyes should now be on the draw on November 7th.
Thousands of Eintracht Frankfurt fans in Lisbon
Thousands of Frankfurt fans got in the mood for the dramatic group final in the heart of the Portuguese capital in the afternoon.
Not everyone made it into the stadium, however, and despite free seats, numerous Eintracht supporters were not allowed to buy tickets outside the guest area.
Those who had secured a place in the arena after an atmospheric fan march saw a starting eleven that had changed in just one position compared to the unfortunate defeat against Borussia Dortmund (1:2).
Only Djibril Sow moved into the team for Rode, who, according to Kevin Trapp, wanted to create “something historic”.
Great morale at Eintracht Frankfurt
Accordingly, the Frankfurters started the decisive game in the hard-fought Group D. Although Sporting attacker Marcus Edwards (8th) provided the first goal, SBU had a huge opportunity to take the lead. An attempt by Paulinho to clear after a Eintracht corner almost landed in the Portuguese goal (12′).
In the intense game, both teams gave nothing. The Hessians in particular were there right from the start and kept making progress. There were no dangerous conclusions for a long time, but shortly before the break the guests were caught cold. Gomes slotted in freely at the far post after a cross.
With Captain Rode replacing Jesper Lindstrom, the Frankfurters came out of the dressing room – and with the hope of a quick answer. It wasn’t until the 62nd minute, however, before Kamada confidently converted the penalty due after a handball from Sebastian Coates.
With the swing of the balance, the Hessians pushed for the second goal. In the final phase, Glasner also brought in winger Ansgar Knauff, who was supposed to provide further stimulation offensively. Shortly thereafter, Kolo Muani struck.