Kevin Trapp let the first group of intruders in his penalty area do their thing – it was the mobile confetti removal squad, which hurriedly removed the traces of the holiday decorations with leaf blowers before kick-off. Otherwise the game should have been played on scraps of paper instead of grass.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s fan curve had risen powerfully to appreciate the evening. It smoked and flashed in the black and white sea of flags like on New Year’s Eve, and the singing was hypnotic like at a huge voodoo party – only with the volume of Motörhead. Anyone who has ever wanted to experience wild audition theater like that of the Boca Juniors from Buenos Aires was in the right place on Thursday evening in the Waldstadion and could save themselves the flight.
The frenzied anticipation of the appearance of Euro-Eintracht should not be disappointed. The word “historic” was certainly the most used word in local media pre-reporting, but it was the right word for the right occasion. The Frankfurters didn’t let the powerful Premier League club West Ham United stop them in their rush to the Europa League final. The 1-0 win against an opponent outnumbered didn’t bring the big drama of the European Cup, but it didn’t detract from the big celebration.
The game had started with a shock for the home side. Defense chief Martin Hinteregger, who recovered from an infection just in time to everyone’s relief, injured his thigh after just three minutes of the game and had to leave the pitch. Hinteregger is not just a skilled defender, he is also one of the leading exponents of the Frankfurt European Cup spirit and his departure was quite intimidating for his team. It was a long and tedious time before she broke free from the torpor. The fact that the Londoners did not try to use the insecurity of the opponent was their failure – and the expression of their deficits. West Ham had recently lost one defeat after the other.
West Ham gets red after a video game
The first constructive Frankfurt attack was the typical embarrassment of a team that does not dare to come out of cover. A long pass from Daichi Kamada to the lone striker Jens Petter Hauge, hit by chance, actually not a promising maneuver – and yet the scene that was to decide the game. Hammers defenseman Aaron Creswell miscalculated terribly and got hold of Hauge with no other choice than to pull him to the ground and yank him. The fact that referee Jesús Gil Manzano only drew a yellow card for this triggered nationwide protests, which the video court also joined. Manzano got the necessary signal, looked it up and correctly revised his judgment. Emergency brake Creswell had to go (19th minute), and Eintracht not only had the psychological and numerical advantage, but very soon also the lead on their side: right winger Ansgar Knauff ran away from everyone after a pass from substitute Almamy Touré and found the ball with his pass Raffael Borré, left completely alone in the middle of the penalty area. The rest was attacker routine (27th).
This 1:0 was based on the home side’s first constructive offensive play, because all in all this game was not exactly of high class. Both sides fought productively in the zones away from the penalty area, goal scenes were largely omitted. But who was interested in that in the stands of the Frankfurt stadium? It was exactly the manageable drama that a Eintracht fan dreaming of the final wanted. The team fiercely defended their lead against a decimated and discouraged opponent who had lost their terror. That Evan N’dicka had to clarify on the line just before the break – an isolated threatening moment.
The second half passed like the first. The Frankfurters were particularly careful not to put themselves in danger by keeping West Ham away from Trapp’s goal. The minutes passed uneventfully and when West Ham manager David Moyes was sent off in a fit of rage (78′), England’s morale sank. And the audience partied, quite a few presumably until dawn.