Frankfurt and Augsburg inseparable in goalless gridlock

Die Adler made the trip to Bavaria where a spirited Augsburg side were unlucky not to take more from the 0-0 draw.

After the travails of a testing Thursday night in Europe, a weary Eintracht Frankfurt played out a scoreless stalemate with FC Augsburg at the WWK Arena. Neither side managed to break the deadlock despite a litany of chances.

Although both teams made a rather cautious approach to the game, the hosts came closest around the 20th-minute when Samuel Essende skipped past Robin Koch and flashed an effort past the far post. 

Although Kevin Trapp wasn’t required on that occasion, the veteran shot-stopper was called into action when Cedric Zesiger’s effort deflected off Tuta. Trapp’s instinctive reactions clawed the ball to safety. 

Dino Toppmöller made two alterations to start the second-half as Jean-Mattéo Bahoya and Ansgar Knauff replaced Michy Batshuayi and Farrès Chaïbi. Die Adler’s 44-year-old head coach was aware of the tired legs in his ranks after last Thursday’s Europa League defeat. 

Frankfurt were fortunate that Essende didn’t bring his shooting boots today as both Arthur Theate and Koch combined for a disastrous error which the Congolese striker failed to punish.

Both sides had chances to win it late on as Essende’s replacement Mergim Berisha was denied by the post. Ansgar Knauff almost pulled off a Lionel Messi-esque solo effort in the 70th-minute which Zesiger blocked with a heroic last gasp tackle. 

Finn Dahmen and Trapp were called into action for the final time late into the closing stages. Dahmen parried a Tuta header while Trapp laid claim to a fierce drive from Philipp Tietz. Nothing to separate the two in the end.