In the town and in the streets – there was no escaping the hordes of Eintracht fans who turned out to celebrate with their DFB Cup heroes on Sunday. The procession leading the team and staff from Frankfurt airport to the Römer building in town was a true sight to behold. 30 years since their last major title, the squad was still buzzing after beating the mighty FC Bayern Munich 3-1 in Berlin as they signed the city’s golden book, an honour reserved only for the greatest of achievements.
Römerberg square closed off
Arriving in their very own, customised SunExpress plane, the team were welcomed to cheers and applause even on the runway. After disembarking, Niko Kovac, David Abraham and Co jumped into a string of coupés which drove them into the city centre, where the famous Römerberg square had to be closed for two hours to accommodate the 15,000 fans who turned out to salute the stars.
Kovac all smiles
Shortly after 18:00 local time, the players emerged from the Römer balcony holding the famous trophy to the delight of crowd below. The atmosphere was already rocking with lord mayor Peter Feldman on the mic: "Finally we’ve done it! Yesterday was an historic day." Three decades after their last title, there was plenty of cause for celebration. Coach Niko Kovac, departing for Bayern this summer of course, couldn’t help but raise a smile as the fans urged him to "pull their Lederhosen down". Emotional, but savouring his last hurrah with the Eagles, Kovac drew further cheers from the crowd: "I can’t tell you how proud I am. This cup is for you!"
Solid footing for next season
And so an historic weekend comes to an end for Eintracht, after 30 years of hurt the club finally has another major trophy in the cabinet. Once the dust settles, it’s time to start looking forward to next season and the first competitive fixture of the season against none other than FC Bayern in the Supercup – and of course their long-awaited return to the European stage in September.
