On his first day at work in an international club competition, Robin Koch didn’t have everything and everyone in view. But that wasn’t a disadvantage for him or his employer because the Frankfurter Eintracht football professional successfully concentrated on the essentials. In the 2-1 home win over FC Aberdeen in the first Conference League game in Group G on Thursday evening in front of 55,500 spectators, Koch not only scored the winning goal with his head.
The 27-year-old, who had never played with a European club before, also fulfilled his main role as a right central defender with flying colors. Shortly before the final whistle he won two header duels against the Scots. Once again, the Leeds United loanee acted very cautiously. There was only one person he didn’t have on his radar at his premiere: DFB sports director Rudi Völler, who was sitting in the stands together with the new managing director Andreas Rettig. Koch said afterwards that he didn’t know anything about it. “My focus was elsewhere today.”
