Riga frustrate Frankfurt until Larsson leaves his mark

After last weekend’s narrow defeat to Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt turned their attention to the Europa League where they met a stubborn RFS Riga outfit. Hugo Larsson’s late strike ensured a tense 1-0 victory.

Dino Toppmöller stated during the pre-game build up that his side will show every opponent the same respect regardless of size. Tonight showed exactly why as a stubborn, well-drilled RFS Riga proved to be a difficult nut to crack at the Deutsche Bank Park. It would require a stroke of genius from the 43-year-old Frankfurt head coach to introduce the man to make the difference in a nail-biting affair.

The Latvian club naturally didn’t dominate possession but they were first to enjoy the best opportunity of the match in the 15th-minute as Markhyiev blazed over. Frankfurt weren’t without chances themselves before the break – Omar Marmoush raced through one-on-one but couldn’t prod the ball past Ondoa from an acute angle. Matanovic also couldn’t find his range, but RFS Riga more than earned parity at the interval.

Hugo Larsson’s second-half cameo sparked some life into Die Adler. The Swede’s corner fell to Tuta who smashed past Ondoa with a fiery volley but the offside flag was raised. With the subsequent move, Nkounkou threaded the Riga defence to find Marmoush who couldn’t convert. A rare miss on an off night for the typically in-form Egyptian of late. Nkounkou had his blushes spared too after a nightmare mistake allowed Savalnieks in behind. Kevin Trapp’s firm left boot repelled the effort. 

Frustration started to bubble as Frankfurt appeared to be awarded a penalty for a foul on Marmoush. A rather prompt VAR referral indicated that the foul took place just outside the 18-yard box. Finally the Riga resistance snapped in the 79th-minute – Marmoush slipped Larsson down the right side of the box and the midfielder’s first-time effort trickled inside the lower left upright. A strike that would secure all three points despite Riga smacking the crossbar after the restart.