Doan secures hard-earned win | OneFootball

Eintracht battled to a 1-0 victory over FC Augsburg in their last home game of the year thanks to a goal from Ritsu Doan.

Head coach Dino Toppmöller made two changes to his starting line-up, with Mo Dahoud and Nnamdi Collins coming into the side for Hugo Larsson, who was rested as a precaution due to a slight knock, and Nathaniel Brown, who dropped to the bench. 

Early let-off 

The Eagles survived a scare with little more than two minutes on the clock when Chrislain Matsima headed in Kristijan Jakic’s left-wing cross, but the goal was disallowed for offside following a VAR review. Eintracht fashioned their first chance of the game after ten minutes, but Finn Dahmen was equal to Ansgar Knauff’s shot. 

The Eagles had the next opening ten minutes after that, but Dahmen again denied Knauff and Arthur Theate was unable to direct his follow-up on target (21’), leaving a scrappy match goalless at the interval. 

Eintracht made two substitutions at half-time, with Brown and Can Uzun brought on for Farès Chaibi and Mario Götze. As was the case in the first half, barely three minutes had passed before the first sight of goal. Uzun won a free-kick and from Doan’s delivery, Rasmus Kristensen headed narrowly over the bar (48’). Frankfurt kept their foot on the pedal, went after the second balls with greater intensity and put Augsburg under pressure higher up the pitch.  

Koch forced off, Doan scores

Captain Robin Koch had to be taken off the pitch with an injury after an hour and was replaced by Aurèle Amenda, while Oscar Højlund came in for Dahoud (61’). The decisive moment of the game arrived seven minutes later when Collins did brilliantly to win the ball. It found its way via Højlund to Doan, who embarked on a mazy run from the right-hand side of the penalty area, sending the ball into the bottom left-hand corner via a slight deflection (68’). 

Augsburg goal chalked off

The visitors had the ball in the net again shortly before the final whistle when Noahkai Banks turned it in from close range (86’), but a lengthy VAR review disallowed it for offside. The Eagles comfortably saw the result over the line in the seven minutes of stoppage time, thereby holding onto all three points.