conference league
Equalizer at the last minute: Eintracht draws 1-1 in Sofia
Lewski’s Welton Felipe (l) fights for the ball with Eintracht’s Mario Götze (r) and Aurelio Buta. Photo
© dpa/dpa
Eintracht Frankfurt had their sights set on victory thanks to Randal Kolo Muani’s opening goal in the first leg of the Conference League play-off. But Levski Sofia equalized to make it 1-1.
After a late goal must Eintracht Frankfurt are still trembling about entering the Conference League.
The Hessians had to settle for a 1-1 (1-0) win at PSG Levski Sofia in the first leg of the play-off in front of 43,000 spectators at the National Stadium in the Bulgarian capital. It was only in the fifth minute of added time that Lewski equalized with a goal from Hassimi Fadiga. Previously, exceptional striker Randal Kolo Muani had given the 2022 Europa League winner the lead in the sixth minute. The decision on progression will be made next Thursday in Frankfurt.
Götze with assist
Eintracht got off to a good start with the quick opening goal and were able to defend the 1-0 lead with great effort, but also luck until the half-time whistle. Frankfurt’s star striker Kolo Muani, who was courted by Paris Saint-Germain, was able to shoot in from a few meters and with force after a precise cross pass from Mario Götze. The video check confirmed that Götze was not offside. It was the third goal of the season for national player and World Cup runner-up Kolo Muani after scoring against Lok Leipzig in the DFB Cup and against Darmstadt 98 in the Bundesliga opener. “He’s very professional and shows good character,” said Eintracht sports director Timmo Hardung, referring to the transfer poker he had with PSG. So far, the offer from Paris and the demand from Hesse have been about 30 million euros apart.
Nevertheless, the by no means undeserved equalizer came when Fadiga overcame Trapp with a dream goal. Overall, Eintracht showed a good performance in terms of play and tactics in the third competitive game under the direction of the new head coach Dino Toppmöller, especially since the defense was also solid for a long time. It was no easy task against the Brazilian trio of Welton Felipe, Ricardinho and Ronaldo. Before Lewski Sofia comes to the Main for the second leg, the Frankfurters have to play a neighborhood duel at FSV Mainz 05 on Sunday (3.30 p.m.). Whether the courted Kolo Mani will be there again is open.