The Frankfurt team have thus created a good starting position for the rest of the league phase in the Europa League. With two wins and one draw from the first three games, the SGE is in the top group.
Eintracht lacked ideas in the first half
Eintracht coach Dino Toppmöller had warned his team before the encounter. Riga has “very robust defenders, very big defenders,” said the coach. And initially there was no way through against Riga’s well-positioned defense. The SGE struggled to create opportunities in the first half. There was a lack of speed, ideas and impact.
The guests had their first chance through Adam Markhiyev, whose shot from a tight angle just missed the goal (15th). In return, Omar Marmoush was denied by Riga keeper Fabrice Ondoa in a one-on-one.
Toppmöller made four changes compared to the 1-2 defeat at Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. Among other things, young star Can Uzun made his starting eleven debut for Frankfurt. But neither the lineup of 18-year-old Uzun, who moved from second division club 1. FC Nürnberg to Hessen in the summer, nor the other changes had the desired positive effect.
Whistles for break
A finish from Croatian striker Igor Matanovic, who was also a new starter, didn’t change that. The national player’s attempt from a distance whizzed just past the right goal (33′). In response to their team’s poor performance, the Eintracht supporters whistled a few times at half-time.
Toppmöller also couldn’t be satisfied with his team’s performance. He brought on the eventual goalscorer Larsson for Mo Dahoud in the second half and obviously found the right approach in the dressing room.
The SGE now played much more powerfully. Tuta made it 1-0, but his goal didn’t count due to an offside position (48′). Marmoush and Niels Nkounkou also aimed just past the visitors’ goal (52nd/53rd).
On the left side, Nkounkou made a huge effort in a clearance attempt, so that Roberts Savalnieks appeared alone in front of Eintracht goalkeeper Kevin Trapp. However, the 34-year-old parried the Latvian’s shot strongly (58th).
Penalty for Frankfurt is taken back
After a foul on Marmoush, the Dutch referee Allard Lindhout initially awarded a penalty for the hosts. After checking the video images, the referee withdrew the penalty because the foul occurred outside the penalty area.
In the final phase, Larsson redeemed Eintracht with a 1-0 lead. In direct response, SGE were lucky not to concede the equalizer when Markhiyev hit the crossbar with a powerful shot.
