Eintracht Frankfurt couldn’t quite ennoble a great football year. Coach Oliver Glasner’s team only managed to draw 1-1 (0-1) in the prestigious Rhein-Main derby at 1. FSV Mainz 05.
The Europa League winner can still go into the World Cup break contentedly, having managed to stay in the round of 16 in the Champions League and the DFB Cup over the winter.
For Mainz, on the other hand, the last competitive game of the year ended on a happy note in front of 33,305 spectators after three Bundesliga defeats in a row. Jonathan Burkardt (40th minute) gave the hosts the lead, Ranal Kolo Muani (66th) scored the equaliser.
After a largely bloodless 0-1 performance at the bottom of the table FC Schalke 04 four days later, Mainz were snappy and combative from the start. 05 coach Bo Svensson had drawn the conclusion from the three defeats in a row and changed the starting XI to four positions. On the offensive, he gave Burkardt preference over Marcus Ingvartsen, who actually wanted to recommend himself for one of the last places in the Danish World Cup squad.
Burkardt turned out to be a stroke of luck. The Germany junior international was already in danger in the ninth minute when he got the shot after a skilful pass from Leandro Barreiro, but the ball was deflected and flew wide of the goal. Seconds later, Eintracht was lucky again when ex-Frankfurt player Dominik Kohr narrowly missed the right post from 20 yards out. In the 40th minute it was Burkardt who was able to overcome Kevin Trapp: The national goalkeeper fended off the first Burkardt shot with brilliant saves, as well as a follow-up shot by Karim Onisiwo, and Trapp had no chance the next time Burkardt tried.
Champions League round of 16 Frankfurt could not build on the brilliant performance against 1899 Hoffenheim (4: 2), in which the Hessians had inspired with an offensive fireworks. After 24 competitive games, Eintracht lacked the energy for another extraordinary game, which had previously scored 26 points in 14 league games.
The guests only had chances before the break through Randal Kolo Muani (11′), who, standing completely free, jumped the ball wide of the foot after a pass from Daichi Kamada. Jesper Lindström (29′) has another chance, who wins the ball himself, runs towards the Mainz goal and is stopped shortly before the end.
Only after the restart did the Frankfurters mobilize all their strength again after seven wins in the last eight games to add another win. And it was once again Kolo Muani who could strike. After a pass from Djibril Sow, it is World Cup driver Mario Götze who plays a brilliant chip into Kolo Muani’s run. The Frenchman shot the ball into the net from a tight angle – it was his fifth goal.
