Eintracht Frankfurt recovers against VfB Stuttgart and is cup finalist

Eintracht Frankfurt is in the final of the German Cup tournament. VfB Stuttgart – which still has to pull out all the stops to stay in the Bundesliga – was defeated 2-3 in a game with two faces. RB Leipzig is the opponent in the final.

As logical as it seems, the result was not. Frankfurt – another Europa League winner in 2022 – is in a disappointing ninth place in the league. In the process, the Frankfurters have not recorded a victory in the Bundesliga since February.

At VfB Stuttgart, light is shining on the horizon. In April, the club was bottom of the league, but after the dismissal of coach Bruno Labbadia (and the arrival of Sebastian Hoeness), Stuttgart has started the way up. Currently it is in a “safe” fifteenth place.

The current form of both teams was on display in optima forma during the first half Wednesday night. Stuttgart played with confidence and took the lead within 20 minutes through Tiago Tomás.

Frankfurt – which created little apart from a few small moments – had goalkeeper Kevin Trapp to thank for not making it 3-0 before halftime. First he stopped striker Serhou Guirassy, who came at him alone, and then the goalkeeper prevented Tomás from scoring his second.

The second half showed just how important those saves were, as Frankfurt came out looking very different. Indeed, within no time the team was suddenly ahead. Five minutes after halftime, defender Evan N’Dicka equalized and shortly after, Daichi Kamada shot Frankfurt into the lead.

In contrast to the first half, Stuttgart could no longer make a fist at all. Frankfurt lurked on the breakaway and even made it 3-1 a quarter of an hour before time. Stuttgart goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow brought down Randal Kolo Muani in the penalty area. The same Muani took the penalty.

Stuttgart made it exciting in the closing stages: a shot changed direction by Borna Sosa – who had to leave the field just before time with a red card (twice yellow) – fell in.

In the absolute final seconds, referee Daniel Schlager was called to the side by VAR. He saw a possible penalty kick after an unfortunate handball in the Frankfurt defense. After reviewing the footage in detail, the referee stuck to his decision: no penalty kick. And no extension, it remained 2-3.

Eintracht Frankfurt will take on RB Leipzig, which won impressively (5-1) over SC Freiburg on Tuesday night, in the final of the DFB-Pokal on June 3.