Younes Ebnoutalib’s 77th-minute finish gave Eintracht Frankfurt a 1-0 win over Cologne at Deutsche Bank Park on Friday night, a first home league win of the season and a clean sheet for a side that had shipped six goals at Leipzig in its previous league game.
The Bundesliga Matchday 6 opener was settled by one clever pass. Substitute Noel Aséko dragged the ball with his sole and slipped it through Luka Lochoshvili’s legs, and Ebnoutalib beat Marvin Schwäbe at his near post from a tight angle.
A nervy start, then Atubolu
It almost went wrong inside the first minute, as it had at Leipzig. Nnamdi Collins was caught out of position and Marius Bülter ran clean through on the left, but Noah Atubolu, making his 100th Bundesliga appearance, stood tall and saved.
Adi Hütter had made three changes after the 6-0 defeat in Leipzig, bringing in Mario Götze, Fares Chaïbi and top scorer Ebnoutalib, and captain Robin Koch started at the back. Cologne coach René Wagner switched to a back three, handing Joël Schmied his first start of the season and bringing in Tom Krauß for the injured Ellyes Skhiri.
Chaïbi was the home side’s sharpest outlet, twice cutting in from the left only to find the angle too narrow against Schwäbe. On the half-hour Bülter flicked a free-kick towards the near post and Atubolu reacted again. Saïd El Mala, Cologne’s quickest player on the night, closed the half by sprinting the length of the pitch and scuffing his shot wide.
Crosses, then a better idea
Frankfurt came out of the break on top. Ebnoutalib headed just wide in the 48th minute, Lilian Brassier and Chaïbi both had headers kept out by Schwäbe, and the crosses kept coming. Cologne struggled to get out of their own half.
Wagner sent on Mikey Moore, Paul Okon-Engstler and Alessio Castro-Montes to change the pattern. Hütter lost Collins to a left-leg injury and sent on Ansgar Knauff, then replaced Götze with Aséko. The substitution decided the night.
The goal came from a high turnover rather than another cross. Ebnoutalib laid the ball off to Aséko on the right edge of the box and kept running, and the return pass found him in behind.
Eight points from six
Cologne chased an equaliser with late substitute Reigan Heskey but never seriously tested Atubolu, and Borna Sosa was booked as the hosts saw it out. Frankfurt finished with 1.68 expected goals to Cologne’s 0.49.
The win lifts Frankfurt to eight points from six games, one ahead of Cologne, who missed the chance to climb into the top five. Cologne host Schalke at 9.30pm on Saturday, 24 October, Singapore time, and Frankfurt visit Borussia Dortmund three hours later, at 12.30am on Sunday, 25 October.
