New Eintracht Frankfurt striker Younes Ebnoutalib crowned a dream Bundesliga debut with a second-half goal in a rollercoaster 3-3 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Friday. Frankfurt-born Ebnoutalib only signed for his hometown club last week, completing a fairytale rise from the fourth-tier to the Bundesliga in the space of a year.
The 22-year-old has been billed as one of the most exciting talents in German football and he showed why in a thrilling game against Dortmund. Thrown into the starting eleven on his debut, Ebnoutalib smashed home an ice-cool finish midway through the second half before the drama continued with two goals in stoppage time.
“It’s like a dream, I’m still a bit speechless,” Ebnoutalib said. “It’s a really crazy feeling to score on debut. I’m grateful to the coach for giving me the chance to play from the beginning.”
Photo: AFP
Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmoeller said that he had decided a day before the game to put Ebnoutalib in the starting line-up.
“I told him he should go and leave his heart on the pitch. This is something he has dreamed of his whole life,” he said.
Frankfurt have one of the leakiest defenses in the league this season, and it took Dortmund just 10 minutes to unlock it. After picking up a brilliant diagonal ball from Nico Schlotterbeck, right-back Julian Ryerson whipped a cross into the front post, where Maximilian Beier turned in a first-time finish.
Dortmund failed to press home their advantage, and let the hosts back into the game when Serhou Guirassy gave away a penalty with a careless foul on Robin Koch. Can Uzun slotted home the penalty for Frankfurt, ending a personal goal drought which stretched back to September last year.
Ebnoutalib headed a good chance wide just after the break as Frankfurt took control of the game in the second half. Yet the hosts were left stunned when a deflected Felix Nmecha shot trickled inside the post to restore Dortmund’s lead at 68 minutes.
Only minutes later, Ebnoutalib seized his moment. Breaking free of the back line, the 22-year-old picked up a through-ball from fellow debutant Arnaud Kaliumendo and smashed the ball past Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. Dortmund hit the woodwork in stoppage time, before Mo Dahoud curled the ball into the top corner to put Frankfurt in front.
Yet hopes of a home win were dashed at the last minute as Dortmund’s Carney Chukwuemeka prodded home a late equalizer.
The draw leaves Frankfurt three points adrift of the UEFA Champions League spots in seventh overnight, while Dortmund are now eight points behind league leaders Bayern Munich in second. Bayern have the chance to pull further ahead when they host Wolfsburg today.
Two of yesterday’s Bundesliga fixtures were called off due to extreme winter weather in the north of the country.
St. Pauli’s game against RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim’s visit to Werder Bremen were both postponed after heavy snowfall had led to school closures and major interruptions to public transport in Hamburg and Bremen this week.
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