After the first leg win against Prague, Eintracht Frankfurt’s footballers are almost certain to reach the group stage of the Champions League. In addition to a lot of praise after the game, the second leg is not completely forgotten.
The coach of Eintracht Frankfurt had already emphasized that Niko Arnautis expected his team to win before the Champions League qualifier. But that? Even the Hessian coach didn’t expect that. His team swept Sparta Prague out of the Waldstadion 5-0 and is now one and three-quarters of the way into the group stage of the premier class, if that were possible.
“If someone had told me that before, I would have said that I would be happy to accept it,” explained Arnautis with a lot of pride after the game. “The team did a great job.” True words. From the first minute of the game, Eintracht left no doubt as to who would ultimately leave the field as the winner.
The first goal as a can opener
Nicole Anyomi (6th minute) and Laura Freigang (14th minute/foul penalty) made things clear early on. “The first goal was a can opener,” Anyomi also correctly recognized after the game. “After that it was easier for us to create chances.” The goalscorer was certainly right to make it 1-0, but another preliminary decision in the game should not be kept secret. Shortly after the start of the second half, Aneta Pochmanova was shown a red card, a decision that was at least debatable.
By then the game was decided, and Eintracht then went into a real frenzy. Géraldine Reuteler (58th) and the outstanding Freigang twice more (76th/77th) made the victory a real shooting festival. The Hessians could have won even more if they had exploited their chances better.
Release: “We can’t rest”
Nobody in Frankfurt believes that the goal of the group stage of the Champions League could still be in serious danger. And yet, of course, the second leg has to be played first on Wednesday in a week (6.30 p.m. live in the stream on hessenschau.de). “We can’t rest on our laurels in the first leg,” emphasized Freigang after the goal spectacle. “But if we go there with a clear head, I won’t be worried at all.”