Coming off a dramatic 1-0 loss on the final match of the season to finish in the Relegation playoff Eintracht Frankfurt had the task to play a two match series against third play FC Nurnberg from the 2.Bundesliga, the second division. Task accomplished, as Frankfurt won the aggregate 2-1 via a Haris Seferovic goal.
Lets go back to March 6. Armin Veh resigned as manager of the Eagles after earning four points from their last seven matches. The squad was not scoring, only four goals were scored during this stretch.
Armin Veh was a coach that was very much hands off. In his previous job as manager of Stuttgart the year before the club slumped into the relegation zone. For this situation the logical move was made and a change was made.
In came Croat Niko Kovac. A fundamentally sound coach that as a player was one who championed work ethic. Something that was needed to ensure that survival would happen.
From there as the weeks went by Frankfurt started to become more and more a robust defensive team.
Second match in charge was a 1-0 victory that all but relegated Hannover 96 to the zweite liga. There was belief that with the remaining matches that there was the points that would directly allow for survival.
Tough losses to Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, and Hoffenheim started to make some think that there wasn’t enough in the team but then the season turned.
A scrappy come from behind win over local rivals Mainz was followed up by another come from behind win at Darmstadt and then a surprising win over Dortmund at home to ensure that direct relegation was not to happen to Eintracht Frankfurt.
At the death Werder Bremen was able to win over Frankfurt and suddenly third place FC Nurnberg was the opposition.
First leg in Frankfurt and Eintracht Frankfurt had a terrible distraction.
Club vice captain Marco Russ was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor. When asked by the media he stated that he was postponing any operation until after the playoff to ensure that he would be able to play his part in keeping the club up.
As the match got underway it was obvious that while Nurnberg was good to have made it to the playoff that Eintracht Frankfurt was the class of the tie. The possession was all in favor of Frankfurt as was the shots. And yet Nurnberg finished the first half up 1-0.
A free kick from long range from Nurnberg was entering in the box and while trying to get the ball out the boot of Marco Russ deflected the ball past keeper Lukas Hradecky and without a shot on target the Franconian side was up at the half.
From there Eintracht Frankfurt was merciless in its press. Wave after wave of attacks were stemmed but it did seem that only a matter of time before the break through happened.
American Timothy Chandler finally helped find the breakthrough as he found Mijat Gacinovic in the box and after a bit of trickery and weaving he put the ball past Raphael Schafer.
Into the second leg and with the away goal Nurnberg was in a unique situation as in their own full and packed stadium. A club that used to be one of the great Bundesliga sides looked to be making a return so long as they held Eintracht Frankfurt from scoring or scored themselves.
Again the Franconian side was playing extremely defensive dragging Eintracht Frankfurt in and to attack.
The first half played out as the second half did in Frankfurt. Wave after wave came at Nurnberg but nothing was made of it. Midfielder Marc Stendera was carted off with injury bringing on Mexican Marco Fabian.
Second half was much the same as club captain Alex Meier but nothing was able to get through as Nurnberg was sitting so deep that little could be created.
That was until Gacinovic created separation in the box with a cross over and a simple pass for Haris Seferovic to deflect into the net and security was made.
Celebrations of grand jubilation in the away fans end and weathering the last ditch efforts of Nurnberg to ensure Bundesliga football for another season.
So Niko Kovac came into a team that needed a leader and guiding hand and he provided. All happiness aside the question is what is next for Eintracht Frankfurt.
