New coach, old worries: Eintracht Frankfurt will remain winless in 2026 and have therefore failed prematurely in the Champions League. Interim coach Dennis Schmitt’s team lost 2:3 (1:1) at FK Karabakh Agdam in the evening in Baku despite a 2:1 lead in the last minute and has no chance of reaching a place in the top 24 of the premier class table before the last matchday.
In front of around 30,000 spectators, Can Uzun (10th minute) and Joker Fares Chaibi (78th/foul penalty) scored on the guests’ side, who were playing again for the first time since parting ways with Dino Toppmöller. The strong double goalscorer Camilo Duran (4th/80th) and Bahlul Mustafazada (90th+4) made the hosts celebrate in the end. This means that Eintracht’s last game in the league phase next Wednesday (9 p.m.) against Tottenham Hotspur is irrelevant, with only four points the gap is too big.
Opinion
:Toppmöller failed because they always conceded the same goal – and because of Frankfurt’s import/export operations
The Eintracht fans who love to travel were able to save themselves the five-hour flight to the east and had to stay at home this time. The background is a fan exclusion imposed by UEFA after the incidents during the guest game at FC Barcelona in December. According to UEFA, the Eintracht fans threw objects, set off fireworks and caused property damage.
The contrast was also stark in the coaching bench, where newcomer Schmitt (in a new role for three days) met veteran Gurban Gurbanov, who had been in charge of the club from Azerbaijan for 18 years. When asked what Schmitt and assistant coach Alex Meier were able to change since parting ways with Toppmöller on Sunday, sports director Markus Krösche said on DAZN: “You can’t really do anything in such a short time. It’s important that we get the balance better.” It is still unclear who will be Toppmöller’s permanent successor. Marco Rose is considered a hot candidate. Eintracht didn’t get the balance right in Baku either, like so often this season. The Frankfurt defense collectively seemed to be in a deep sleep when striker Duran took the lead with the first shot in the goal area. Duran converted in the margin after Leandro Andrade was initially denied by Eintracht goalkeeper Kauã Santos. As was the case recently under Toppmöller, he also received the trust of interim coach Schmitt.
Heated atmosphere, icy weather in Baku at Eintracht’s exit
But the guests were not intimidated by the heated atmosphere and the icy winter weather in Baku – and quickly equalized. The young Uzun stole the ball from an opponent in the penalty area and shot with his left into the corner. In the absence of various strikers (Jonathan Burkardt is out injured, Arnaud Kalimuendo is not registered for the premier class), the 20-year-old played in the front line this time. After the two quick goals, Uzun had another chance to shoot (15th), but it stayed that way for the time being. Instead, it was mainly the hosts who played, who had already won against Benfica Lisbon and wrested a draw from Chelsea FC in this premier class season. The Brazilian Santos was able to defuse a low shot from Duran (37th) with an excellent reaction.
The goalkeeper, who replaced Michael Zetterer as number one at the turn of the year, was repeatedly put to the test. Although Kauã was a bit careless, he was initially strong on the line. The goalkeeper also defused an attempt by Joni Montiel. After the substitution, the guests had to suffer: Nathaniel Brown was hit on the knee and Rasmus Kristensen, who was already playing with a mask, had his nose bleed. The game became rougher and there were hardly any chances. Until referee Sandro Schärer deemed a duel between Mustafazada and Ansgar Knauff worthy of a penalty after around 75 minutes. Substitute Chaibi converted confidently. But Frankfurt’s joy didn’t last long because Duran equalized to make it 2-2. With the last attack of the game, Mustafazada scored the victory – and the elimination of the Bundesliga representative.
