In-form Rasmus Kristensen opened the scoring after just 23 seconds at Deutsche Bank Park, but further first-half strikes from Manolis Saliakas and Morgan Guilavogui gave the visitors a 2-1 lead at the break. Half-time substitute Batshuayi fired Eintracht level with 20 minutes remaining, but the Eagles had to settle for a draw.
Hosts unchanged
Dino Toppmöller fielded the same team that started last Sunday’s 1-1 draw at 1. FSV Mainz 05. Apart from Mario Götze and Kaua Santos, the Eintracht boss had a full squad at his disposal for the Eagles’ penultimate Bundesliga fixture of the 2024/25 campaign.
Frantic start in Frankfurt
Knowing a win would guarantee a place in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League, Eintracht opened the scoring with their first attack of the game. Hugo Larsson wriggled his way into the penalty area before squaring for Kristensen, who found the far corner to score his second goal in as many Bundesliga games – and the Eagles’ earliest top-flight strike since Alexander Meier’s effort after 21 seconds against Greuther Fürth in 2012.
The visitors responded well, however, equalising just three minutes later when Saliakas curled Guilavogui’s lay-off past Kevin Trapp from the edge of the penalty area. Guilavogui then went from provider to goalscorer on 15 minutes, rolling the ball into an empty net from a tight angle after Jean-Mattéo Bahoya had blocked his initial effort. Hugo Ekitiké went close from the corner of the box midway through the half, but Toppmöller’s charges struggled to create further openings before the interval.
Late Batshuayi effort disallowed
Batshuayi was brought on to replace the injured Bahoya at the beginning of the second half, but clear-cut chances remained few and far between as St. Pauli continued to sit deep in an effort to protect their slender lead. The visitors’ resistance was broken with 20 minutes remaining, however, when Batshuayi collected Farès Chaibi’s low pass before sweeping the ball past visiting goalkeeper Ben Voll and swing the momentum back in Eintracht’s favour.
In a nail-biting end to the contest, Kristensen fired narrowly wide of the far post before Batshuayi found the net again with a close-range finish – but the goal was ruled out after the ball struck the Belgian’s hand in the build-up. St. Pauli winger Noah Weißhaupt dragged a shot narrowly off target at the other end and Batshuayi lashed an effort over the bar from Kristensen’s flick-on, but there was no separating the teams at full time.
Eintracht stay third, three points above Dortmund and two clear of fourth-placed Freiburg, who they face on the final day of the season.