1. FC Köln fell to a 1:0 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday evening. Younes Ebnoutalib scored the only goal in the Deutsche Bank Park.
Team news
Adi Hütter opted for three alterations after the defeat to Leipzig last time out. Ansgar Knauff, Noel Aseko and Can Uzun were replaced by Mario Götze, Faris Chaibi and Younes Ebnoutalib.
René Wagner made two changes to the team that started the win against Borussia Mönchengladbach last weekend. Joël Schmied and Tom Krauß came into the line-up in place of Ellyes Skhiri and Mikey Moore.
Level at the break
FC almost got off to the perfect start in Frankfurt. A long ball from Borna Sosa set off Marius Bülter behind the home defence, only for Noah Atubolu to make a smart save after just 48 seconds. Eintracht responded with chances of their own, though Ebnoutalib’s effort was lacking pace and Chaibi’s one-on-one lacking conviction as Marvin Schwäbe saved both.
After a fairly lively opening period, the game turned into a midfield battle broken only up by the occasional opportunity. The best of which fell to Bülter again. Sosa, once more, teed up the forward with a superb, swinging free-kick towards the near post. Atubolu was alert and managed to push the flicked effort away from danger.
Ebnoutalib wins it
It was Eintracht who started the better of the two teams following the half-time break. Marvin Schwäbe was called upon twice in the first 15 minutes, denying Lilian Brassier’s header before holding onto a similar effort from Chaibi.
Much like the first-half, the game fell into a lull. That was broken in the 78th minute, as Eintracht grabbed the winner. Noel Aseko teed up Ebnoutalib, who managed to pick out the bottom corner from close range and give the hosts the three points.
Line-ups
Eintracht Frankfurt (4-4-2): Atubolu – Collins (Knauff 71’), Koch, Brassier, Kosugi – Doan, Onyedika, Götze (Aseko 71’), Chaibi – Ebnoutalib, Burkardt (Baum 82’).
1. FC Köln (3-3-2-2): Schwäbe – Schmied (Castro-Montes 68’) Simpson-Pusey, Lochoshvili – Sebulonsen (Heskey 84’), Krauß, Sosa – Jóhannesson (Okon-Engstler 68’), Maina (Moore 68’) – Bülter, El Mala (Waldschmidt 84’).
Goal: 1:0, Ebnoutalib 78’.
Referee: Benjamin Brand (Schwebheim).
Booked: Götze (24’), Brassier (39’), Jóhannesson (45’), Sosa (90+4’).
