Eintracht Frankfurt suffered a humiliating 7-0 pre-season defeat against Premier League club Brentford in London on Saturday in their final match before official competitive fixtures begin.
The German Bundesliga side trailed 3-0 at half-time and conceded four more goals after the break, delivering a disastrous performance just six days before their opening DFB-Pokal cup fixture against fifth-tier team St. Tönis.
To make matters worse for the Hessen club, captain Robin Koch was forced off with dizziness late in the first half after making an error, while goalkeeper Kaua Santos reignited selection debates with a major handling mistake.
Early defensive errors
Brentford opened the scoring after just two minutes when German international winger Kevin Schade found the net at the second attempt following a corner kick. Frankfurt struggled to match the hosts' pace and conceded a second goal in the 12th minute after another corner sequence. Elias Baum headed a clearance into the central area in front of his own goal, allowing Mamadou Sangaré to shoot, with goalkeeper Kaua Santos accidentally palming the ball into his own net.
Santos appeared uncertain throughout the match, reflecting a wider defensive collapse across the team. Frankfurt offered no threat in attack while struggling defensively. 20-year-old center-back Otavio made repeated errors and appeared exhausted after just 30 minutes of play.
Captain injured before half-time
Frankfurt captain Robin Koch repeatedly stepped in to break up danger before turning provider for Brentford's third goal in the 40th minute. Koch lost possession in his own half, allowing Brazilian international striker Igor Thiago to capitalize and score. Koch was substituted three minutes later after complaining of dizziness following the lost duel, with youth player Jeremiaha Maluze replacing him in the 43rd minute.
Any hopes of a second-half recovery faded quickly as Brentford, who finished ninth in the Premier League last season, continued to exploit Frankfurt's defensive weaknesses. Can Uzun failed to defend adequately in the buildup as Dango Ouattara scored Brentford's fourth goal in the 52nd minute. Five minutes later, Keane Lewis-Potter dribbled past substitute Maluze before scoring the fifth goal in the 57th minute.
Brentford complete seven-goal victory
Brentford added two more goals in quick succession against an increasingly disorganized Frankfurt defense. Igor Thiago scored his second goal of the match in the 69th minute, and Kevin Schade completed his own double just a minute later in the 70th minute to round off the 7-0 victory.
Eintracht Frankfurt started with Santos in goal, behind a defensive line of Baum, Koch, Otavio, and Kosugi. Onyedika and Höjlund started in central midfield, with Doan and Uzun supporting forwards Ebnoutalib and Burkardt. Head coach changes during the match saw Maluze replace Koch on 43 minutes, while Arthur Theate replaced Otavio and Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab came on for Doan at half-time. In the 63rd minute, Ansgar Knauff replaced Kosugi, Farès Chaibi replaced Höjlund, and Jean-Mattéo Bahoya replaced Ebnoutalib, before Oscar Arrhov replaced Burkardt in the 76th minute.
