LAt the moment it seemed as if Greece would continue to be a good place for Eintracht. But Konstantinos Koulierakis dashed all Frankfurt hopes of leaving Thessaloniki with a 1-1 draw. The draw lasted for a long time in the atmospheric Toumba Stadium. Then the PAOK defender asserted himself energetically in Eintracht’s five-yard box and made it 2-1, which was hardly thought possible.
The leaders of Group G, who were previously tied on points, extended their lead over Eintracht. Omar Marmoush’s goal, which meant the score was 1-1, wasn’t enough in the end in front of 21,549 spectators. After the final whistle, Eintracht goalkeeper Kevin Trapp was shown a red card after a scramble with several players. PAOK midfielder Meite also saw red. “I didn’t see exactly what happened. But it was probably unnecessary,” said Frankfurt defense chief Robin Koch when the keeper was sent off. He described the last-minute bankruptcy as “very bitter”.
The slogan before was clear. “We will try to put the opponent under pressure and create scoring chances. The goal is of course to win the game,” said sports director Markus Krösche before the duel with PAOK. The expectations of hot-blooded Greek fans were not disappointed. Two hours before kick-off, thousands of PAOK supporters flocked to the Toumba Stadium. And when it really started later and it was still 22 degrees Celsius in Thessaloniki at 10 p.m. local time, the shouts of “PAOK” resounded like thunder through the venue.
It seemed as if the “hot dance” that Toppmöller had talked about in anticipation of an emotionally charged game was really about to take place. The Eintracht fans, 1,500 of whom had traveled to northern Greece for the game, countered the battle cries by lighting Bengalos.
Toppmöller brings new players
Behaving, careful, controlled. The first thing for Eintracht was to keep a cool head. Just don’t make any mistakes. Toppmöller had once again rotated his staff for the difficult task. Compared to the 0-2 defeat in the core Bundesliga last Saturday in Wolfsburg, Ansgar Knauff, Niels Nkounkou and Jens Petter Hauge were in the starting eleven. Aurélio Buta and Éric Junior Dina Ebimbe took their places on the bench. Mario Götze, who is looking forward to the joys of fatherhood, stayed at home.
The Greeks had the first action. In the tenth minute there was a first shot from captain Vieirinha. But a short time later, force and power were in the game. Mbwana Samatta uncompromisingly shot in from a half-left position with his left to make it 1-0 for PAOK. Unfortunately for the man from Tanzania, he was just offside. A millimeter decision for which the video referee had to be consulted – lucky for Eintracht.
Nevertheless, the Greeks took the lead. A free kick from Andrija Živković flew past many teammates and opponents – and landed in the Frankfurt goal to make it 1-0 (28th). Eintracht then tried shots from beyond the edge of the penalty area, but neither Ellyes Skhiri (34th and 37th) nor Omar Marmoush (36th) had any luck. For Nkounkou, who was warned shortly before half-time, it was over after the first period of the game. Buta came on for him after the break.
For the first time even remotely dangerous in the second half, Frankfurt’s professional footballers appeared in the Greeks’ penalty area in the 61st minute. But Knauff missed his right-footed shot by many meters. Marmoush did better, as he at least hit the goal, but also found his master in the PAOK keeper (62′). Toppmöller hoped for more momentum by substituting Ebimbe, for whom Hauge came off the pitch.
Only a short time later there was actually reason to cheer. The hard-working Marmoush once again put pressure on Konstantinos Koulierakis, who then couldn’t get the ball under control. The stormy Egyptian quickly recognized the opportunity, set a determined course for the goal – and skillfully finished with an unstoppable shot under the crossbar (68th). 1:1, Eintracht was back in the game. For the Greeks, after three successful European home games, it was the first time that they conceded a goal in front of their home crowd.
After 76 minutes, scorer Marmoush made way for Jessic Ngankam, who, according to his coach, should let off steam. Two minutes after being substituted, he took measurements, but his shot lacked fortune. Better, much better, but not perfect was Fares Chaibi, who was unlucky with a free kick in the 83rd minute and only hit the crossbar. When all signs pointed to Eintracht leaving Greece with a draw, PAOK struck coldly.
Koulierakis, who was partly to blame for Frankfurt’s equalizer, bravely asserted himself in the second minute of the five-minute stoppage time and pushed the ball into the Frankfurt goal to make it 2-1. With the unfortunate defeat, Eintracht’s small streak of success was broken. The previous three European Cup games against Greek teams were all won. The red card against Trapp made the defeat even more bitter.
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