After the final whistle in Bochum, Éric Junior Dina Ebimbe had a small tantrum in front of a large crowd. The Eintracht professional drove the ball forward in a high arc on the pitch. When the 22-year-old Frenchman answered questions from journalists on the ground floor near a staircase in the Ruhr Stadium a few minutes later, his anger had not gone away. Dina Ebimbe looked gloomy – although Saturday evening had gone very well for him personally in front of 26,000 spectators in the sold-out arena.
In the 1-1 draw, Frankfurt’s third draw in the fourth Bundesliga game, the committed midfielder scored the goal with a long-range shot to make it 1-0 (55th minute). But Dina Ebimbe had the big picture in mind. And in this regard, he was bothered by the outcome of the game, which did not bring the Hessians complete success because Kevin Stöger from Bochum brought the score level with a penalty (74′). In contrast to some teammates who expressed their incomprehension about the penalty whistle – Omar Marmoush had briefly held Ivan Ordets following a corner – Dina Ebimbe had not seen the controversial scene closely. That’s why he refrained from commenting in detail.
The former French junior national player clearly identified Frankfurt’s weaknesses in the 98 minutes that included stoppage time. “We have to be more cold-blooded in front of the goal,” he demanded. Dina Ebimbe will also have thought of herself. In the eleventh minute he was able to assert himself well on the left side with his pace, but he failed to finish: Bochum’s goalkeeper Manuel Riemann wasn’t there for the only time that evening with a foot save.
Positive perspective
When assessing Frankfurt’s overall performance, goalkeeper Kevin Trapp also recalled that the Hessians had to become “even more efficient”. “We haven’t scored that many goals in the league so far,” he said, referring to the four goals scored in four games. In this context, Trapp did not hide the fact that Eintracht had only conceded a few goals so far. “You have to look at it positively,” was his assessment. Eintracht (conceded three goals) are keeping tight at the back with their new defense chief Robin Koch, who also plays a role as right central defender.
Some television experts have now brought up Leeds United’s entry for the weakened national team to great publicity. Frankfurt’s sports director Markus Krösche emphatically agreed with this view in Bochum. For him, Koch is “a clear candidate for the national team.” Krösche is impressed by Koch’s “calmness in the game” and his ability to provide “an incredible amount of stability”. Like coach Dino Toppmöller (“There was no penalty”), Krösche (“Then three or four penalties would have to be called per game”) and most of his teammates, Koch was also one of those who had no understanding for referee Benjamin Brand’s decision .
That was “not enough for a penalty”. Omar Marmoush held Ivan Ordets “for maybe a second, that’s normal with corners,” said Koch, adding on television: “That’s so bitter, because otherwise we’ll keep a clean sheet.” The Bochum goalscorer Stöger, on the other hand, revealed a completely different view on things. “For me it was a clear penalty and not a quick pull and tug,” he said. It’s all a question of perspective.
There were no two opinions about the courageous performance of the quick Dina Ebimbe. In addition to Trapp, who made several saves to prevent further VfL goals, the young Frenchman was the most striking player in the Frankfurt ensemble. The ball-smart Frenchman drove the Eintracht game forward with force. His spectacular pass, which reached teammate Hugo Larsson on the left after 22 minutes, was worth seeing.
Important in the center
However, the 19-year-old Swede failed to score against Riemann. The bottom line was that Dina Ebimbe passed into the danger zone in front of the VfL goal most often (seven times). In an “intense game” like in Bochum, Frankfurt should “keep calm overall,” said Dina Ebimbe. “But we are a young team that still has to learn a thing or two.”
The midfielder, who grew up in Paris Saint-Germain’s youth academy, has acquired remarkable versatility. In the duel with VfL he ended up filling three positions. Dina Ebimbe knows how to contribute successfully both in the center and on the wings. In the future, the all-rounder with his understanding of the game and his ideas should become the most important in the center.
Jörg Daniels, Bochum Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 3 Jörg Daniels, Frankfurt Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 5 Jörg Daniels Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 1
Ebimbe sees himself as “a small part of a larger whole. I don’t define myself by a position. “I’m a complete player and I put myself at the service of the team,” he said in Bochum. Before that, Ebimbe had described himself as “quite adaptable”. He lets himself be positioned “where the coach sees my strengths being used in the best possible way”. Across all seasons he has been directly involved in three goals in his past five first division games with two goals and one assist. “It will be important that we can maintain our intensity over 90 minutes. Our feeling is that Junior can do that every three days,” said Toppmöller, praising Dina Ebimbe’s leadership.
The Frenchman used to be a wandering bird when it came to football. He only played one season in Le Havre (2019/2020), one in Dijon (20/21) and one at Paris Saint-Germain (21/22). In terms of sport, Ebimbe, who has a contract until mid-2027, now wants to settle in Frankfurt. He told French media that it was “very important” for him to take part in a long-term project. Eintracht gives their all-purpose weapon the stage to develop in the best possible way at a high level.
