Eintracht Frankfurt beat FSV Mainz 05 3-1 in the Bundesliga, securing only the second league win in the club's history at their Rhine-Main rivals. Goalkeeper Noah Atubolu saved a penalty and forward Can Uzun scored twice as Frankfurt claimed their first league win of the season.
Uzun opened the scoring in the 9th minute and added his second in the 60th. Jonathan Burkardt scored in first-half stoppage time, in the 45+1 minute, at the club where he used to play before joining Frankfurt. Mainz pulled a goal back through Phillip Tietz in the 89th minute, but it was not enough to change the result. Frankfurt led 2-0 at halftime.
The Bundesliga is the top division of German football, and the fixture between Eintracht Frankfurt and Mainz 05 is known locally as the Rhein-Main derby, contested by two clubs based in the neighbouring cities of Frankfurt and Mainz.
Players react to the victory
Jonathan Burkardt said the performance was Eintracht over the full 90 minutes, something the team had only partly shown in recent matches. He said it had been extremely important that they saw the game through and pulled off the win. He said he believed in the process the squad was going through, praising what he called a genuinely good coach and a team full of strong characters, and said he knew there was a good foundation in place that would not take much to steer in the right direction. He described it as a special, emotional match for him personally.
Sporting director Markus Krösche said the win had been important, noting there had already been some pressure building on the club. He said the team had made fewer mistakes, defended better and played a little deeper than in recent games, which he said helps stabilise a squad. He called it an important win, but not more than that, and said the team had acted together, made few individual errors, stood more compactly and switched play well. He added that the saved penalty had certainly been a turning point.
Hutter praises a much-changed side
Head coach Adi Hutter said he had seen a team that gave everything from the first minute to the last and had not won undeservedly. He said the players had carried out the plan superbly, identifying the saved penalty and the second goal before halftime as the key moments. He said it sometimes simply takes patience, pointing out that seven players had started the match who were not in the side last season. He said winning in Mainz is not easy and called it an important victory for Eintracht that would do the team and the fans good.
Speaking to broadcaster Sky, Can Uzun said the team had played a superb game over the full 90 minutes, not just the first half, and said he was happy with his two goals. He said Hutter had given him his trust, that the two of them had spoken again during the week, and that he hoped to repay that confidence. He said he works hard defensively and gives his best for the team.
Mainz coach and players assess the defeat
Mainz coach Urs Fischer said Eintracht had been miles ahead of his side in aggression and tenacity, and said Mainz had then invited Frankfurt to score, calling it too easy. He said momentum then swung further in Frankfurt's favour. He said that if Mainz had converted their penalty, they might not have carried a poor first half into the second, but said his side had ultimately lost deservedly because the first half had simply not been good enough.
Mainz captain Nadiem Amiri, speaking to Sky, said he had to take responsibility for missing the penalty and that things might have looked different had he scored it. He said failing is part of a footballer's life, but said Eintracht had been better than Mainz in every respect on the day.
Mainz forward Phillip Tietz said the team had given the ball away too often and lost too many second balls, going into the dressing room at halftime deservedly 2-0 down. He said Mainz had tried to turn the game around but instead conceded a third goal, calling it a frustrating and difficult day for the team. He said Mainz had not been able to draw on their usual qualities, adding that although they tried, Frankfurt had also played well and had been clever and streetwise.
