The entirely unexpected third act of Mario Götze's career

Eintracht Frankfurt’s 1-0 win over RB Leipzig was the definition of a “smash-and-grab victory” by the Eagles. The visitors managed just one shot on target over the course of the 90 minutes. Fortunately for them, it came in the seventh minute, when Frankfurt winger Ansgar Knauff rushed on to the end of a speculative cross from Niels Nkounkou to tuck the ball inside Janis Blaswich’s back post. 

In stark contrast, Leipzig clocked seven direct shots on target, alongside 26 attempts towards goal. The hosts managed almost twice as many passes and finished the game with an xG three times larger than their opponents. “We tried everything, but didn't get the goal we deserved. It's a tough one to take,” noted Marco Rose after the game. “Our killer instinct was missing,” added Lukas Klostermann. Perhaps he was referring to Timo Werner, who departed the club a few days prior to join Tottenham Hotspur. 

Indeed, it was a game that Leizpig would have likely won by two or three goals had they managed to blow off the cobwebs of the winter break and look a little sharper in front of goal. However, that shouldn’t take anything away from Frankfurt’s stellar defensive performance. In what was a first ever win in Leipzig for the Eagles, Dino Toppmöller’s side looked perfectly capable of matching Leipzig across the pitch. And at the heart of that defensive performance was an unlikely hero.