The déjà vu from the season opener, which Niko Arnautis later spoke about, obviously tormented him greatly. Sometimes annoyed, sometimes dismayed, the Eintracht coach watched his team’s failed performance in the first half of the home game against RB Leipzig. His frustration that when the score was 0-1 at half-time against the promoted team, a complete Bundesliga false start for Frankfurter Eintracht’s women was in the air, was vented in the dressing room.
In any case, the players later reported that it had become “loud” and “clear” – which they perceived as effective. Because with the coach’s words in their ears, they brought the intensity into their actions and duels that was necessary to put a well-organized Leipzig defense under pressure.
In the 70th minute, after falling behind thanks to Lydia Andrade’s goal (27th), the horror version of zero points after three matchdays (the games in Essen and against Wolfsburg had been lost) seemed close. But the busy Austrian Barbara Dunst first scored herself (71′) and then took the penalty, which attacker Laura Freigang converted (86′). Substitute Carlotta Wamser put a brighter face on what had been an unsteady performance in front of 2,000 spectators with her late goal to make it 3-1 in stoppage time.
“It wasn’t us”
An important and beneficial intermediate step in the season in which the Eintracht women have to get up to speed early – but they still have difficulties. They should be fully present again in the arena in the city forest this Tuesday (7 p.m. live on DAZN). In order to develop a good starting position in the first leg of the Champions League playoff against Sparta Prague for the second leg, which will then be about the longed-for qualification for the group phase.
“We’ve all worked hard towards this, it’s a big goal of ours, so we’re really looking forward to Tuesday,” said driving midfielder Barbara Dunst. And hopes that the joyless first 45 minutes against RB were a lesson for the team. “We walked around a lot. That wasn’t us, that’s not our heart,” Dunst said.
The prospect of the Champions League seems to have taken away the fluidity, freeness and even wildness that often characterized the team last season. But what is not yet can still be. Laura Freigang also believes. “To turn a game like this against Leipzig was very important for us at this stage of the season. We’ll take the power with us for Tuesday,” said the national striker, who so far seems far away from her former power and assertiveness.
But because she is a fixed point in the Eintracht game, which seems irreplaceable even in weak phases, the hoped-for upswing in play also depends on Freigang getting back on track after the World Cup overseas, which was extremely disappointing for her personally.
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In any case, Sparta Prague does not seem like an overpowering opponent for an SGE team that defeated Juventus Turin a round earlier. The Czech record champions failed in the playoff round of the European Cup in the last two seasons and had to endure local rivals Slavia’s title wins at home in the last three years.
