Dhe next low blow, the next home defeat. After the away win in Stuttgart, what had they planned for the subsequent home game against Wolfsburg? Nothing came of it. Eintracht had a bad afternoon, losing 2-0 to VfL in their own arena of 10,000 spectators on the 22nd Bundesliga matchday. Max Kruse with a converted penalty kick (28th minute) and substitute Dodi Lukebakio in classic goalscoring style (90+3) scored the two goals that hit Eintracht hard.
“We played a really good game between the two penalty areas,” said Eintracht coach Oliver Glasner later. “But where it counts, we weren’t good enough today.” In other words, what Eintracht had to offer offensively was weak. No threat of scoring, no penetrating power – the stable Wolfsburg defense around the strong three-man defense chain, which VfL coach Florian Kohfeldt described as the guarantee of victory, could not be defeated in this way. “It was a 50:50 game,” said Kohfeldt. “Eintracht had more possession, but our mentality was great.”
Glasner made three changes, some forced, some carefully considered. His hope: to ignite new old momentum with fresh energy. A plan that should work out with Martin Hinteregger, Danny da Costa and Daichi Kamada. The reality, of course, looked different. The Frankfurters appeared promisingly in the third middle in the Wolfsburg penalty area. But neither the moved up Kristijan Jakic nor the rushing Rafael Borré managed to put VfL keeper Koen Casteels under great pressure. Seven minutes later it was the Eintracht professionals again who were pushing for the lead. But at the end of the best attack of the first half, in which Jakic recommended himself as a forwarder with the hoe, nothing decisive came about.
Clumsy foul by Hinteregger
The crux of unity: Far too seldom did she try to shoot at the Wolfsburg goal. The result: Lower Saxony sensed the chance to damage Eintracht, which was offensively harmless that afternoon. A clumsy foul by Hinteregger helped VfL. The Austrian, not a friend of the cultivated flat passing game, clumsily tackled Max Kruse, who was returning from Wolfsburg, in the 26th minute by simply bumping into him. Bad luck for Hinteregger and Eintracht: referee Frank Willenborg sought help from the video assistant to assess the clear foul play. Benjamin Brand relocated the crime scene just into the Frankfurt penalty area. Penalty instead of free kick. A welcome opportunity for the fouled Kruse to score a goal, as he has done many times before in duels against Eintracht (28th). 0:1 from the point of view of Eintracht – another home defeat seemed to take its course. Also because, for example, Jesper Lindström did not manage to overcome Casteels from close range after a courageous solo (41st).
Even after the change of sides, the frustrated crowd saw the same picture: Eintracht somehow wanted to score. Alone: She found no effective means. No surprising actions, no dangerous flanks, no shots – nothing. In preparation for the dispute with his old club, Eintracht coach Glasner spoke of “super intensity in training” and claimed: “There was a lot of punch and train in it.” But when things got serious against VfL, that was all nothing to see. The five substitutions that Eintracht gradually made also had no effect.
Filip Kostic came on for Christopher Lenz in the 62nd minute. Applause erupted. But the Serb did not become the sporting weapon that he can actually be on the left. Goncalo Paciencia and Ansgar Knauff, who came on for da Costa and Borré in the 70th minute, also tried their best – but also in vain. On the contrary: VfL could have made it 2-0 in the 71st minute if Eintracht goalkeeper Kevin Trapp hadn’t been so attentive to clear Lukebakio in the penalty area.
That Lukebakio, who a short time later offered the next good opportunity to score from a short distance (78th). Five minutes before the end of regular time, Glasner brought his desperate team into rotation for the last time. Jakic and Kamada made way for Jens Petter Hauge and Ajdin Hrustic. The hoped-for success did not materialize. In the six-minute stoppage time, the weak Hinteregger made a nasty lapse, which Lukebakio gratefully exploited to make it 2-0 for VfL (90+3).
The balance of Eintracht against Lower Saxony remains devastating. There is no other Bundesliga team in which Frankfurt have worse home statistics. In the 20th duel it was the tenth home defeat. “Today it was extremely annoying,” said Markus Krösche. The sports director of Eintracht spoke after the 0: 2 plain text, named the “lack of determination” as one of the main weaknesses of the Glasner team, who found “no solutions” against Wolfsburg.
Close your eyes and inside: Max Kruse converts the penalty against Frankfurt.
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Image: dpa
“We’re making too many mistakes at the moment and playing too much across the board,” complained Krösche, who defended captain Hinteregger after his poor performance. “Martin played unluckily today. He continues to get all our support because he is a very important player for us. ”One who had a pitch-black Saturday when Eintracht failed to win a home game in the third attempt of the 2022 football year. The 0:2 against Wolfsburg is the third home defeat in a row after the 2:3 against Dortmund and the 0:2 against Bielefeld. A very special hat-trick that hurts Eintracht.
