Bundesliga: Eintracht wins 2-1 in Augsburg

In Oliver Glasner’s homeland Austria is skiing a national sport. And so the Eintracht coach turned to skiing before the match at FC Augsburg to emphasize the great importance of the three remaining Bundesliga games this year for Frankfurt. “We are in front of the last three slalom poles. Even if you thread the last one, you’re out,” said Glasner.

To stay with the picture: Eintracht stayed in the race in Augsburg until the end and successfully crossed the finish line after a better second half. After a successful season so far, she has not strayed off course and managed to turn the corner in a 2-1 win despite being 1-0 down. The Frankfurt goals in the fight and physical game were scored by Sebastian Rode to make it 1-1 (13th minute) and Ansgar Knauff to make it 2-1 (64th). The early Augsburg goal after 31 seconds went to Mergim Berisha.

“We deserved to win over the 90 minutes,” said Frankfurt’s sporting director Markus Krösche. Captain Rode spoke of an “excellent victory. Overall, it was an outstanding team performance. The spirit in the group is really good.” After the 2-1 win at Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League and reaching the round of 16, Eintracht “finally managed the balancing act” between international business and the Bundesliga, Rode said proudly.

“Now is not the time to shine”

The encounter in Augsburg was the 20th competitive game for Eintracht in the past three months. “Now is not the time to shine, but to get the most out of yourself. The boys did an excellent job, we had a great mentality,” praised Glasner, who has never lost to Augsburg in his Bundesliga career. On the home stretch in 2022, Eintracht will face Hoffenheim this Wednesday (8:30 p.m.) at home and then away against Mainz on Sunday (3:30 p.m.). After that, the Frankfurters set off directly for their Asian tour to Japan.

Due to an infection, Daichi Kamada was not available for the fifth in the table from Frankfurt in the penultimate away game. For the Japanese, who was called up for the World Cup for Qatar and will meet the German selection in the first group game, Rode moved into the starting line-up and scored his third goal of the season. The Hessians would like to extend the contract with Kamada, who is the most prolific midfielder in the Bundesliga. The director, whose contract expires after the season, has received a corresponding offer. However, the negotiating parties have not yet come to a conclusion. The fact is: Kamada has significantly increased its market value in Frankfurt with strong performances.

Goalkeeper Kevin Trapp is also on the negotiation list of sports director Markus Krösche. His contract runs until July 1, 2024, but Eintracht wants to keep the national goalkeeper, who will then be 34, in the long term, possibly until 2027. Trapp would then probably end his career in Frankfurt. As can be heard, the new conditions should reduce Trapp’s basic salary because Eintracht has to save. In return, his success and casserole bonuses could increase significantly. Eintracht’s entry into the round of 16 in the Champions League definitely increases the financial scope of the Hessians.