The hopes of Eintracht Frankfurt for a solid reaction on the international stage were dashed as they lost a promising starting position in their quest for the round of 16 in the Conference League. Coach Dino Toppmöller’s team, which has been subjected to substantial criticism recently, had to accept a 2-2 (2-1) draw in the first leg of the second round against Union Saint-Gilloise, a team that has been relegated from the Europa League. This unexpected outcome came despite Eintracht Frankfurt’s initial 2-0 lead, which they failed to maintain due to an inexplicable dip in their performance.
Fares Chaibi, who scored in the 3rd minute, and winter signing Sasa Kalajdzic, who scored in the 10th minute, initially rewarded Eintracht Frankfurt for a strong start to the match. However, the Belgian league leaders, Union Saint-Gilloise, managed to turn the tables on Eintracht, exploiting their weaknesses, particularly in the post-break period. Mathias Rasmussen and Gustaf Nilsson scored for Union Saint-Gilloise in the 31st and 68th minutes respectively. Adding to Eintracht’s woes, Charles Vanhoutte, a player from the home team, was given a yellow-red card in the 78th minute, resulting in his dismissal from the game. Looking ahead to the second leg match scheduled for next Thursday at 9 p.m. (RTL), Eintracht Frankfurt will need a victory to progress further in the tournament. Reflecting on the match, Sebastian Rode said, “It is very, very annoying that we are not traveling to Frankfurt with a better starting position,” He further expressed his disappointment at their second-half performance, adding, “We have to stay calm and counter it better.”
