Eintracht Frankfurt also won its third game of the year, exacerbating Borussia Dortmund’s crisis. The SGE cleverly defended Ekitiké’s opening goal and put a lid on it in stoppage time.
Even before the two clubs had published their lineups, Frankfurt made the first headline of the evening: Eleven minutes before the starting eleven were announced, the club confirmed for the first time an impending move from Marmoush to Manchester City: “Eintracht Frankfurt is currently in talks with one other club regarding a transfer of Omar Marmoush. Therefore the player is not part of the squad,” wrote the SGE X. For the top scorer, Knauff started against his former club compared to the 4-1 win against Freiburg.
On the field, Knauff often met Anton – alongside Groß, one of two new players at BVB after the 2:4 in Kiel, Sabitzer and Duranville moved to the bench for the duo.
Larsson fails at Kobel, Guirassy at the post
Regardless of a minor adjustment to the system, the Frankfurt team operated with two tens instead of a double lead, and the absence of Marmoush, the SGE got off to a good start: in the second minute, Kobel prevented Larsson from making it 0-1 after his bad pass in the build-up game. Dortmund’s answer was clearly audible in the stadium a few minutes later: Guirassy approached with a header off the post (9th).
Bundesliga – 18th matchday
However, this was to be the only chance for the guests, who also played with a three-man chain, in the first half. Because Borussia didn’t know what to do with their high percentage of play: As in previous games, the ball mostly ran from right to left without gaining much space. Eintracht appeared to be much more determined. The 1-0 score serves as an example: Kristensen immediately looked for depth after a one-two with Ekitiké and then served the latter, who scored the first goal of the second half of the season (18th).
-Knauff and Ekitiké miss the 2-0
The vertical game also posed problems for the counter-prone BVB defense as the first 45 minutes progressed. Knauff – the Marmoush replacement hit the post (22nd) – and Ekitiké missed further goals before the break (34th).
However, such opportunities were in short supply after the restart because Dortmund came out of the locker room more actively. The Borussians keep the Hessians busy more than before. Although they kept the opponent away from their own goal, the increase in performance didn’t really result in any great chances. Guirassy missed a cross from Joker Yan Couto by centimeters (65′).
Höjlund brings the final point
Instead of playing highlights, referee Daniel Schlager took center stage in the final phase. After two contentious duels in the SGE penalty area between Collins with Gittens (77th) and Guirassy with Theate (85th), the referee’s whistle remained silent despite protests. Shortly before the last whistle of the day, the Frankfurt team celebrated again: against the advanced Borussia team, Höjlund made the final score 2-0 with his debut goal (90th + 2).
While the SGE celebrated its third victory in 2025, Dortmund remains without a point in the new year. The result: A whopping eleven points lie between third-placed Frankfurt and BVB.
The next English week is coming up for both teams. While Dortmund visits Bologna on Tuesday (9 p.m.), Frankfurt welcomes Ferencvaros Budapest on Thursday (9 p.m.). In the Bundesliga, Frankfurt continues in Hoffenheim (Sunday, 3:30 p.m.) and Bremen visits Dortmund (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.).
