The Eintracht Frankfurt footballers have taken a big step towards the quarter-finals of the newly created European Cup with a late double strike.
Coach Niko Arnautis’ team won the first leg of the round of 16 at PSV Eindhoven 2-1 (0-1). DFB striker Laura Freigang and Remina Chiba ensured success in the end.
The Bundesliga third-place team from Frankfurt, who traveled to Eindhoven with four wins from five games and a 3-2 coup against VfL Wolfsburg women, suffered a setback after a dominant initial phase. Lore Jacobs (21st) gave Eindhoven the lead with the first chance. Eintracht then defended themselves with all their might, but initially found no remedy against the well-positioned Dutch team – before Freigang (85th) and the Japanese Chiba (90th) scored shortly before the end of the game to secure a deserved victory. On November 20th, Eintracht can make it into the quarter-finals in the second leg in Frankfurt.
The newly created competition will be played in a different, more traditional format than the premier class. There is no league phase; all rounds, including the final, take place in a knockout system with a return leg. After the round of 16 in November, the quarter-finals will be played in February. In qualifying for the Champions League, Eintracht clearly failed against Real Madrid.