The club nicknamed the ‘moody diva’ once again put their fans through a rollercoaster of emotions in the latter stages of the season. Avoidable defeats and bitter blows were mixed with euphoric moments, culminating in glory in Berlin.
Timely away win
Eintracht’s 1-0 win at Wolfsburg on Matchday 19 proved to be their last away success of the season in the Bundesliga. Their away form in the first half of the campaign completely vanished as the Eagles suffered seven successive defeats on the road. There was one notable exception: in between a 4-1 loss at Bayer Leverkusen and a 3-0 reverse at home to Hertha, Niko Kovac’s side progressed to the final of the DFB Cup thanks to a battling 1-0 win at Schalke. "I didn’t know whether the game might come too early for me," said Omar Mascarell after returning from injury. "In the end it was enough and we won. It’s a special feeling to reach the final."
In-form Jovic’s touch of genius
The winning goal in Gelsenkirchen was scored by Luka Jovic, who enjoyed an impressive second half of the season. The Benfica loanee scored six goals after the winter break, including one in every game between Matchdays 26 and 29. But he saved his most brilliant and most important goal for 18 April, when he sent Eintracht to Berlin with an acrobatic back-heel from Jonathan de Guzman’s corner.
Four minutes, two touches
Matchday 33 delivered another goal that will go down as one of the best of the season. There was unbridled joy at the Commerzbank-Arena when Alex Meier’s first-time volley - with the inside of his boot – flew into the Hamburg net. Rarely has a seemingly insignificant 3-0 win triggered such delight. The goal came just minutes after the fans’ favourite had made his return to action after a year out through injury, which itself was cause enough for vociferous celebrations among the home crowd.
A night to remember in Berlin
As emotional as Meier’s comeback was, it proved to be merely a prelude to what came two weeks later. On the final day of the season, Kovac’s side had fallen to eighth place in the table after losing 1-0 at Schalke. But that was soon forgotten. In the final of the DFB Cup, they faced a Bayern Munich side who seemed almost unbeatable. Almost. On 19 May, Eintracht stunned the football world, beating the Bundesliga champions 3-1 and claiming their first title in 30 years. There were scenes of euphoria at the Olympic Stadium and back in Frankfurt, where the cup heroes returned the following day to celebrate with over 100,000 fans.
