VAR whistles back the penalty kick: Larsson redeems Eintracht, then there is also aluminum luck

VAR whistles back the penalty kick
Larsson redeems Eintracht, then there is also aluminum luck

October 24, 2024, 8:37 p.m

Eintracht Frankfurt is the clear favorite in the Europa League duel with Riga. But the Latvians are making things difficult for the Bundesliga club. In the second half there was bad luck with a penalty kick, and the redeeming late goal was almost immediately followed by a moment of shock.

Eintracht Frankfurt had a lackluster win in the Europa League. The Bundesliga soccer team defeated the Latvian champions FK Rigas Futbola Skola 1-0 (0-0). Substitute Hugo Larsson scored the winning goal in front of 56,600 spectators (79th minute) in what was largely a staid performance for Eintracht.

Goalkeeper Kevin Trapp struggled after the game. “It’s a game that you have to win, no question about it. We didn’t concede a goal, that’s the positive thing,” said the captain on RTL+: “But all we wanted to do today was to put the opponent under pressure – we didn’t do enough of that. We haven’t implemented what we set out to do, we have to be honest.”

The Frankfurters have nevertheless created a good starting position for the rest of the league phase in the Europa League. With two wins and one draw from the first three games, the SGE is in the top group.

Eintracht coach Dino Toppmöller had warned his team before the encounter. Riga has “very robust defenders, very big defenders,” said the coach. And initially there was no way through against Riga’s well-positioned defense. The SGE struggled to create opportunities in the first half. There was a lack of speed, ideas and impact.

Whistles from the fans at halftime

The guests had their first chance through Adam Markhiyev, whose shot from a tight angle just missed the goal (15th). In return, Omar Marmoush was denied by Riga keeper Fabrice Ondoa in a one-on-one.

A finish from Croatian striker Igor Matanovic, who was also a new starter, didn’t change that. The national player’s attempt from a distance whizzed just past the right goal (33′). In response to their team’s poor performance, the Eintracht supporters whistled a few times at half-time.

Toppmöller also couldn’t be satisfied with his team’s performance. He brought on the eventual goalscorer Larsson for Mo Dahoud in the second half and obviously found the right approach in the dressing room.

Penalty – but foul outside the penalty area

The SGE now played much more powerfully. Tuta made it 1-0, but his goal didn’t count due to an offside position (48′). Marmoush and Niels Nkounkou also aimed just past the visitors’ goal (52nd/53rd). On the left side, Nkounkou made a huge effort in a clearance attempt, so that Roberts Savalnieks appeared alone in front of Eintracht goalkeeper Kevin Trapp. However, the 34-year-old parried the Latvian’s shot strongly (58th).

After a foul on Marmoush, the Dutch referee Allard Lindhout initially awarded a penalty for the hosts. After checking the video images, the referee withdrew the penalty because the foul occurred outside the penalty area.

In the final phase, Larsson redeemed Eintracht with a 1-0 lead. In direct response, SGE were lucky not to concede the equalizer when Markhiyev hit the crossbar with a powerful shot.