Dino Toppmöller’s confidence in the qualities of his players has increased significantly in the past few weeks. The adjustment period that he and the Eintracht team needed as a new coach did not go entirely smoothly, but recently there were clear improvements in Eintracht’s performances. The fact that the team in Helsinki was confronted with the unusual task of having to prove themselves on artificial turf on Thursday did not give the 42-year-old a headache. He was convinced that they would develop a “feel” for the unusual surface in good time and that they would choose “the better means” for the pass relays.
After a few moments of orientation, the Frankfurt team followed their coach’s words with action in the fourth game of the Conference League. They achieved their third win with a 1-0 win at HJK Helsinki. In doing so, they improved their score to nine points and maintained their chances of success ahead of the home duel with PAOK Saloniki (10 points) on November 30th, the only remaining competitor for first place. Whoever emerges from the preliminary round as group leaders will enjoy the advantage of not having to play another play-off game and being able to enter the knockout phase directly in March.
On the terrain, which is exceptional for professionals in Germany and is chosen in the far north in order to be better prepared for the often rainy and frosty climate, Eintracht needs a few minutes to gain a foothold. On the green filled with sand, where the plastic straws are only a few millimeters high, the ball rolled faster than usual, which not everyone in the Hessian jersey initially liked.
Persistent and calm
The fact that Toppmöller had to restructure his defense for the evening did not put the team at a disadvantage. Tuta (shoulder problems) and Robin Koch (calf injury) stayed at home, but central defender Hrvoje Smolcic and Aurelio Buta stepped into the breach in the right position of the back four.
Ellyes Skhiri had the first opportunity to take the lead. He artistically brought a cross from Fares Chaibi towards the goal with his heel, but keeper Niki Mäenpää deflected the ball flying onto the post; In the ensuing hustle and bustle in the six-yard box, both Willian Pacho and Hugo Larsson lacked perspective (7th minute).
A long-range shot from Chaibi flew over the crossbar (16th). With persistence and calm combinations that didn’t always take a direct route to the top, Eintracht managed to take control of the action from the middle of the first section. As soon as Helsinki pushed over the halfway line, Skhiri and Larsson retreated backwards to condense the space and make it more difficult for the opponent to advance towards Kevin Trapp.
No chance to defend: Fares Chaibi’s shot is precisely placed. : Image: Huebner
A cup thrown from the Frankfurt fan corner, which hit Helsinki attacker Santeri Hostikka, caused an interruption (29th). Hostikka, who was preparing for a corner kick, complained to French referee Pierre Gaillouste, who secured the evidence and then gave the signal to continue.
The unfriendly act from the ranks of its supporters, about whom the European Football Union at its headquarters in Nyon already keeps a thick list of sinners, is likely to have repercussions for Eintracht. In terms of sport, Chaibi, who has been in good form for weeks, made the most notable contribution to Frankfurt’s performance up to the break: after a solo effort, the 20-year-old, who this time started as a left winger in place of Ansgar Knauff, beat Mäenpää with an artful shot from the corner of the penalty area to make it 1-0 (31st).
Published/Updated: 41 minutes ago
After the restart, Dina Ebimbe, who otherwise remained conspicuously inconspicuous, had the chance to extend the lead, but his attempt from around ten meters was too imprecise (48th). Chaibi, cleverly staged by Omar Marmoush, also failed to make the result clearer – Mäenpää, the Finns’ most energetic player, did not let the Algerian get past him (56th). On the other hand, Trapp kept the backs of those in front of him clear as he spread his chest to fend off Hostikka’s shot (61′).
With the inclusion of Nacho Ferri (for Marmoush), Toppmöller hoped that the storm youngster could give Frankfurt a boost of vitality in the final phase, as he did last weekend in the league against Union Berlin. The 19-year-old Spaniard, who until recently made a name for himself as a goal-getter in the regional league, struggled to meet the coach’s expectations with energetic body language and active forechecking.
He didn’t manage to score another direct hit, but that was overcoming at the final whistle because Trapp’s intervention against Pyry Soiri (83′) prevented anything worse from happening and with the narrow result the mandatory program was sufficiently fulfilled. And Eintracht will not lack further opportunities for freestyle in this competition either.
