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A VAR-judged penalty for hand was decisive when FC Midtjylland invited the Bundesliga’s number two, Eintracht Frankfurt, to dance in Herning on Thursday.
The Germans won 2-1, who also form part of the top in the Europa League’s league play after five of eight rounds.
Egyptian Omar Marmoush and French Hugo Ekitike form an uncommonly venomous and creative front duo for Frankfurt, involved in the vast majority of the team’s goals.
And on Thursday, the duo was decisive again.
Ekitike as an ever-challenging threat, and Marmoush with both an assist and a decisive goal at the MCH Arena, which compatriot Mohamed Zidan conjured with five goals in the opening match against AB 20 years ago.
FCM, on the other hand, was once again amputated by the absence of Franculino, Aral Simsir and Dario Osorio in the offensive.
One of the substitutes, 18-year-old Mikel Gogorza, forced a German own goal shortly into the second half before limping off the pitch after a promising performance.
With the defeat, FCM is still on seven points, and that is enough for the time being for a place among the 24 of 36 teams that go on to the playoffs. But there must of course be points on the table in one or more of the last three matches against FC Porto, Ludogorets and Fenerbahce to maintain that status.
After a particularly promising and aggressive start, the home team got an early breather after seven minutes on Thursday when the visitors won an aerial duel in the middle of the field.
Through quick combinations by Ekitike and Marmoush, the ball ended up at the feet of Swedish midfielder Hugo Larsson in the box, and he resolutely beat Frankfurt 1-0 right in front of a packed and constantly flag-waving and singing away section.
FCM looked groggy in the following period, but survived and regained their composure about midway through the first half, which the mid-judges finished the best of.
After 35 minutes, Joel Andersson, again playing in central midfield, cleverly set up forward Adam Buksa with a heel pass, and a little later the Swede’s sugar ball came from a corner kick, but in both cases the Pole lacked the last juice and power.
Marmoush was very close to making it 2-0 just before the break, but in a completely free position chipped the ball over both keeper Elias Olafsson and the goal frame.
Instead, it was 1-1 immediately after the restart and a big missed Frankfurt opportunity. Gogorza challenged on the left side and hit a cross that sailed over keeper Kevin Trapp via a Frankfurt foot.
The joy lasted a handful of minutes. Marmoush bullied the ball into defender Ousmane Diao’s hand from a short distance, and it was assessed a penalty, which the Egyptian safely converted to give Germany a 2-1 lead.
Although the mid-judges did not create another equaliser, the FCM fans still had a good voice midway through the second half.
Here, the club’s self-developed ex-profile Rasmus Nissen Kristensen, who flew from the nest seven years ago and is now in Frankfurt, made a comeback after an injury break, and he made an excellent figure in an otherwise messy final part of the match.
FCM did their part to become dangerous, and after 81 minutes came the golden opportunity. But from a short distance, Buksa weakly rolled the ball past the goal.
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Source: politiken.dk
