The year 2022 is one of the best years in the club’s history for Eintracht Frankfurt. Your games in Europe are like a triumphal procession. Not only in the Europa League, but also in the Champions League. They jump into the knockout phase with a thriller in Lisbon. Now the eagles are dreaming.
Mario Götze has experienced a lot in his career as a footballer. The midfielder has scaled the highest heights and echoed jeers in the deep valleys. At the age of 30, the German World Cup hero from 2014 is now climbing high again and is experiencing something that probably last happened to him in the early years of his career at Borussia Dortmund. With a team that never gives up and wild, wonderfully irrelevant fans who keep pushing the team forward. With match luck, with fighters and strikers that all of Europe is longing for.
Frankfurt’s 2-1 win at Sporting Lisbon and qualifying for the knockout phase was never just normal. It was a wild thriller that was only steered towards a happy ending twenty minutes before the end by what is probably the most exciting striker in the Bundesliga, Randal Kolo Muani. The 23-year-old scored to win and shot Frankfurt into ecstasy.
“It’s just unbelievable. If you imagine that we were behind at halftime and were completely eliminated in fourth and in the end we went home with a win and a progression,” said Götze, whose performance can be described as unremarkable: “That’s great!”
After the sensational victory in the Europa League last year, the Eagles are playing the Champions League this season. Of course not without moving into the round of 16 on the last match day of the group from fourth place at half-time. With ten points, more than any other Premier League debutant since Leicester City in 2016/2017.
Unlike in the Bundesliga game against Borussia Dortmund, the referee was well disposed towards Frankfurt this time. A controversial hand penalty to make it 1-1 and Kristjan Jakic not receiving a yellow-red card after a hard foul on Francisco Trincao shortly after the 2-1 made it 2-1 played into the hands of the Eagles on their comeback. “If you then show this will, this belief, this passion, then you’ll have luck with the penalty kick,” said coach Oliver Glasner and left the laser attack on the shooter Daichi Kamada unmentioned. He was targeted by a laser shortly before the execution from the stands, laughed away the attack and scored to equalize.
After the weak first half and the impending end of all European ambitions in the 2022/2023 season, coach Glasner initiated the turnaround by substituting Sebastian Rode. The 32-year-old kept pushing his team in midfield, digging through the duels. The former Bayern Munich player was voted player of the match and dreamed of a wild ride into the deep stages of the competition after reaching the round of 16. Villarreal FC serves as a model. The Spanish village club had fought their way to the semi-finals of the Champions League last year and also knocked out the German record champions Bayern Munich.
“They did it,” said Rode and CEO Axel Hellmann added: “Top 16 in Europe, and somehow so quietly such a dreamy Villarreal – that’s something I can definitely imagine.” But Frankfurt can’t be quiet. After the historic victory in the Europa League last season, the eagles continue to soar through Europe. While the fans who traveled with them in Lisbon could hardly believe their luck, over 6,000 fans gathered in Frankfurt for the public viewing and celebrated the success.
In the following draw, Eintracht Frankfurt will catch a group winner. SSC Napoli, FC Porto, Chelsea, Manchester City and very likely Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are the possible opponents in the round of 16. “I would like to do without Man City,” said Rode, who increases the chances of the Adler realistically assessed: “Now there are only very big calibers and world stars who come there. We don’t have a chance, but we’re definitely the outsiders.”
With players like Rode, goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, Götze, the irresistible striker Kolo Muani and the euphoric, wild supporters, the Frankfurters are outsiders with respectable opportunities. In addition, they have history on their side. In their last appearance in the premier class, which was then known as the European Cup of Champions, Eintracht Frankfurt reached the final in the 1959/1960 season. Only there did the path end with a 3:7 against Real Madrid. How to get into the final as an absolute outsider can not only be told by the old Frankfurters, but also by Mario Götze. He’s experienced it before, back then with Borussia Dortmund and Jürgen Klopp. Before that he could be in Qatar… Well, that’s another story. Götze has just experienced a lot.
