Football · Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt beat Cologne 1-0 with Ebnoutalib's 77th-minute goal, ending a home drought
Noel Aseko set up the goal, which came in front of 59,600 spectators at the Deutsche Bank Park on Friday, 16 October, and lifts Frankfurt to eight points.
In brief
Younes Ebnoutalib scored the only goal in the 77th minute, set up by Noel Aseko, in front of 59,600 spectators on Friday, 16 October.
The win was Frankfurt's first home league win since March, after more than seven months without one, and came six days after a 6-0 defeat at RB Leipzig.
Lothar Matthäus said Frankfurt lack real leaders, and said Koch, 30, has to fight with himself after Adi Hütter removed him at halftime in Leipzig.
- 3rd minuteYounes Ebnoutalib misses an early Frankfurt chance in the penalty area
- 9th minuteFarès Chaïbi also misses a chance in the penalty area
- 12th minuteRobin Koch fouls Saïd El Mala and referee Benjamin Brand only gives a warning
- 77th minuteYounes Ebnoutalib scores the only goal, set up by Noel Aseko
A late winner ends the home drought
Eintracht Frankfurt beat 1. FC Köln 1-0 on Friday, 16 October, in the sixth matchday of the Bundesliga at the Deutsche Bank Park. The only goal came in the 77th minute, when Younes Ebnoutalib finished a pass from Noel Aseko in front of 59,600 spectators. Ebnoutalib, 23, is a new national team player. The result was Frankfurt's first home league win since March, ending a run of more than seven months without one. It also came six days after a 6-0 defeat at RB Leipzig, and it lifts Adi Hütter's side to eight points, one more than Cologne.
- Eintracht Frankfurt
- 8 points
- 1. FC Köln
- 7 points
Data from the article text
Early chances and a busy goalkeeper
Noah Atubolu, who was playing his 100th Bundesliga match, was called on within 40 seconds when he parried a shot from Marius Bülter. Frankfurt struggled to convert their own openings, as Ebnoutalib (3rd minute) and Farès Chaïbi (9th minute) both missed chances in the penalty area. The hosts often finished too imprecisely, while Cologne kept running into Atubolu, who joined Frankfurt from SC Freiburg in the summer. He stopped another Bülter chance after about half an hour, and Cologne, coached by René Wagner, had been playing for a point from halftime onwards after their 2-1 derby win over Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Robin Koch and the captaincy debate
Captain Robin Koch was the focus of attention after Hütter had taken him off at halftime in Leipzig. Before kickoff, speaking to Sky, the coach explained his reasoning in these words:
“He is 30 years old, he has played many games, is a key player here, captain, so you can expect a bit more from a captain.”
Hütter had already made clear earlier in the week that Koch would remain captain. In the 12th minute Saïd El Mala got past him, and Koch could only stop him with a foul. Referee Benjamin Brand let it go with a warning, which was a stroke of luck for the captain.
Matthäus questions Frankfurt's leadership
Lothar Matthäus, a Sky expert who has known Adi Hütter for 20 years, put the club's problem in a single question in a DIE WELT article published before the match:
“Where are the real leaders at Frankfurt? I don't see any.”
He said Bayern, Dortmund, Leipzig and Freiburg all have such leaders, and Frankfurt do not. He praised Jonathan Burkardt as a fine striker but said he must score goals rather than lead, and he said Atubolu can take on the role but needs more time. Matthäus said Robin Koch should take it on but has to fight with himself at the moment. He also defended sporting director Markus Krösche, arguing that the club cannot keep selling players for millions and keep strengthening the squad every year. Matthäus added that he was surprised by the unrest at the club over the summer, which he believed had spread to the team.