Eintracht Frankfurt missed the great opportunity to get back to within one point of the Champions League places in the Bundesliga.
The sixth in the table only played 2-2 (2-2) at VfL Wolfsburg and has now only won one of the last five competitive games. The point losses of RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg left Eintracht unused this weekend.
Ironically, Omar Marmoush, courted by the Frankfurters, gave VfL the lead in the 10th minute. Wolfsburg were the better team in front of 27,853 spectators, but gave up this lead within just four minutes due to a blatant lack of concentration in defense.
When Randal Kolo Muani (22nd) made it 1-1, two VfL defenders were bad. Evan Ndicka’s dream goal (26′) was preceded by a bad pass by Micky van de Ven and a failed header by Paulo Otavio.
Wolfsburg quickly shook off the two goals they conceded and earned Yannick Gerhardt the equalizer before the break (43′).
For both coaches, this fast-paced game was a reunion with their ex-club. Wolfsburg’s Niko Kovac won the DFB Cup with Eintracht in 2018. Frankfurt’s Oliver Glasner led VfL to the Champions League in 2021. Both were so happy about the unusual constellation that they were still talking over a TV camera on the sidelines when the game had already kicked off.
Goal was wrong: game briefly interrupted
There would have been plenty of opportunities to continue this conversation. Because after two minutes the game had to be briefly interrupted for the first time because a goal post was apparently not anchored firmly enough. And after the Wolfsburg 1-0, the video referee checked for a long time whether the Egyptian Marmoush was offside or not.
The two mistakes before the 1: 1 and 1: 2 did not match the otherwise very attentive and strong tackle performance of VfL. The Wolfsburg were a bit more grippy and determined than Eintracht for at least one half.
Marmoush (37′) and Jakub Kaminski (38′) had two good chances to equalize even before the 2-2. In added time in the first half, only the courageous intervention of the Brazilian Tuta prevented the next big chance for the free transfer Marmoush after this season.
The second round didn’t have the intensity and chances of the first half anymore. Above all, however, Frankfurt now controlled events and also had the best player of the evening on the pitch: striker Kolo Muani.
The 24-year-old Frenchman combines speed, technique and a physical power that makes him difficult for any opponent to control. In the 72nd minute, he set up a goal from Jesper Lindström with a fine solo, but that didn’t count as Kolo Muani’s spectacular move was ruled offside. Eintracht did not create more chances.
