Press review Eintracht Frankfurt v BVB: "Intense but lacking real quality" | OneFootball

In the penalty shootout, Borussia Dortmund prevails at Eintracht Frankfurt after the score was 1-1 both after 90 and 120 minutes. The media have different takes on the match up to that point, as shown by this selection of press comments on the second-round duel in Hesse.

The Süddeutsche Zeitung judges that the 120 minutes before the penalty shootout were “intense, but by no means of high quality.” Although BVB sought to go forward from the start, it was Eintracht who did this better. After the early goal by former Dortmund player Ansgar Knauff, there was little to see from BVB offensively at first. Only shortly after the break did the visitors get back into the game with their best combination, as Brandt equalized. However, the goal should not have counted, as Beier was offside beforehand—which went unnoticed in the second round of the cup without VAR. Afterwards, a “completely open exchange of blows” developed, which Borussia ultimately decided in their favor from the spot.

The Tagesspiegel saw a “duel at eye level” between the two Champions League participants last night in Frankfurt, with Gregor Kobel becoming the match-winner. Bensebaini was ruled out at short notice, Guirassy was initially rested. Unlike the SZ, Tagesspiegel found that BVB was “unimpressed” after conceding the goal from a “magic pass” by Mario Götze. However, they lacked creative ideas. When the equalizer did come, Dortmund continued to have more of the game. They needed some luck, though, when Ritsu Doan hit the crossbar—he later became one of the two unlucky Frankfurt players in the penalty shootout.

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“Match-winner” Gregor Kobel was strong even before

Niko Kovac made five changes to the lineup, notes the Sportschau. Beier struggled in his new role as a “mobile attacker” instead of the classic center forward Serhou Guirassy in this top match of the 2nd round. The great combination of two former Dortmund players, Götze and Knauff, led to the early deficit, after which BVB “didn’t get into the game at all in the first half.” As sluggish as they had been up to that point, Borussia Dortmund came out of the break with much more energy. After the equalizer, Frankfurt didn’t seem shocked, but further highlights were long in coming. In extra time, Kobel had to defuse several shots, which he did brilliantly. When he was powerless once, the referee disallowed Doan’s goal for offside. Kobel continued his strong performance in the penalty shootout, and since all BVB players scored, the visitors are now in the round of 16.

The WAZ apparently saw more highlights, raving about a “thrilling cup battle under high voltage.” Not everything went according to plan. “The image of a typical BVB game was reinforced: Dortmund wanted to control the game and Frankfurt counter. But as so often recently, clear chances were missing.” Things went much better after the break, which is why the newspaper suggests that BVB games should only have second halves from now on. In the end, BVB survived the 2nd round, after having been knocked out by VfL Wolfsburg at this stage last year.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.