Frankfurt surprises Leipzig; Van de Beek makes his debut in an unusual position

Eintracht Frankfurt caused a surprise on Saturday afternoon by beating RB Leipzig: 0-1. Xavi Simons' employer was the clearly stronger team for a long time, but was unable to score, partly due to an off-day by Loïs Openda. Donny van de Beek started in Frankfurt's starting eleven and made his debut, before being substituted after more than an hour. At the same time, FSV Mainz 05 came into action against VfL Wolfsburg. Partly thanks to a goal from Václav Cerny, this match ended 1-1.

Naturally, there was a starting spot for Simons on the Leipzig side. The attacking midfielder and forward has not missed a single Bundesliga match this season and that did not change on Saturday. Simons had to provide Openda with supply, among other things.

Van de Beek kicked off his debut at Frankfurt. The midfielder, hired from Manchester United, had a starting spot in an official match for the first time this season. Van de Beek was stationed in an unusual position for him: the former Ajax player started as a left winger. Ex-PSV player Mario Götze started in midfield, while Philipp Max took a seat on the reserve bench.

The away team took the lead early in the game. Niels Nkounkou saw from the left flank how Ansgar Knauff made a run towards the Leipizg penalty area. The former had a razor-sharp pass and Knauff finished convincingly: 0-1.

The opening goal would ultimately be one of Frankfurt's few offensive highlights. After the goal, Leipzig took control and went those Roten Bullen emphatically looking for an equalizer. Leipzig created chances in large numbers, with Openda being the most dangerous man. After just over fifteen minutes, the Belgian was involved in a flashy breakout. However, Openda's final pass turned out to be intercepted. It would be one of the many chances that the attacker squandered in the game.

At the beginning of the second act there was a phase in which Frankfurt managed to regain its footing and seemed to become stronger offensively. However, doubling the lead was not an option that Adlerträger, who had to watch how Leizpzig took over the initiative again. After more than an hour of play, Openda had another good opportunity. The striker managed to head a cross from the left towards Kevin Trapp's goal, but the keeper made the save with his fingertips. The German goalkeeper would eventually become the star of the match with his many saves.

Nothing would change in the standings, allowing Frankfurt to add three points. With the victory, the number five in the Bundesliga catches up with direct competitor Leipzig (fourth place), which still has a six-point lead over the nearest attacker.

FSV Mainz 05 – VfL Wolfsburg 1-1
On the home team's side, there was a starting place for Sepp van den Berg in the heart of the defense. He saw how Cerny signed for the 0-1 after twelve minutes. The former attacker of Ajax, FC Utrecht and FC Twente turned to his left leg and placed the ball in the short corner from fifteen meters. It was his second goal in the Bundesliga. After an hour of play, Silvan Widmer scored the equalizer in a beautiful way. He received a long pass on the edge of the penalty area, took the ball on his chest and then shot over goalkeeper Koen Casteels in the long corner: 1-1. That also turned out to be the final score.

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