Eintracht shock before EL final
Hinteregger is injured for a long time
5/6/2022 3:52 p.m
Very bitter for Eintracht Frankfurt: Martin Hinteregger had to be substituted early in the Europa League semi-final against West Ham United and now it is clear: the defense chief will miss the rest of the season and thus the final. A replacement is available.
Eintracht Frankfurt has to do without defender Martin Hinteregger in the final spurt of the season and thus also in the Europa League final. The 29-year-old Austrian injured his thigh in the semi-final against West Ham United (1-0) on Thursday evening and, according to the club, will not be able to play in the remaining three games. Hinteregger was only absent earlier this week due to illness, but was determined to play the second leg against the Premier League club from London.
“It was incredibly bitter to change so early,” said head coach Oliver Glasner. That’s not how you want to start. Both in the Bundesliga against Gladbach this Sunday (3.30 p.m./DAZN and in the live ticker on ntv.de) and on May 14th in Mainz, Hinteregger will be absent. The failure is most bitter in the Europa League final against Glasgow Rangers, which takes place in Seville on May 18. The first substitute candidate is Almamy Touré, who also came for Hinteregger on Thursday.
Everyday life has harmony again
“Anyone who was able to be there will not forget it for the rest of their lives,” Glasner described the incredible moments the day before. First a huge pyro and confetti show, then a 90-minute non-stop party and finally the white swarm of Eintracht fans who stormed onto the field and couldn’t believe their luck: there were surreal scenes that fit this crazy Frankfurt football spring. And who could now be gold with a European title plus the first qualification for the Champions League.
One day after the ecstasy of a run through the sun-drenched Frankfurt city forest, the Eintracht professionals around the winning goal scorer Rafael Borré tried to understand the incomprehensible. The mood seemed a bit more subdued than the night before. “After the big upswing, there’s a dip today. We’re back to everyday life. Of course it’s a wonderful evening, but it’s over again,” Glasner put it into perspective.
The focus will quickly shift towards Seville, where the next game of the century will kick off for the Hessians in just under two weeks at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. “Tradition is playing against tradition – now we want to get the thing too,” said President Fischer. It will be Eintracht’s third European final after 1960 and 1980 – and one without Martin Hinteregger.