Toppmöller on debutants Kalajdzic and van de Beek after upset win: "The boys did an outstanding job."
Eintracht trainer Dino Toppmöller had strong words of praise for his freshly rebuilt side following Saturday's narrow 1-0 upset win over RB Leipzig.
Missing starters Omar Marmoush, Ellyes Skhiri, and Fares Chaibi to the Africa Cup of Nations, Eintracht Frankfurt trainer Dino Toppmöller had little choice but to immediately through new acquisitions Sasa Kalajdzic and Donny van de Beek into his starting XI on Saturday against Leipzig. The two on-loan Premiership stars performed admirably despite a relatively short acclimatization period.
Van de Beek was actively involved in several successful attack charges and was also permitted to take corners. Kalajdzic involved himself in some worthwhile combos and nearly helped Niels Nkounkou and Mario Götze double the SGE advantage after Ansgar Knauff's early opening goal. The new duo were both subbed off shortly after the hour mark.
In Kalajdzic's case, the former Stuttgart striker could only go so far on the mend from multiple injuries suffered during his tenure at Wolverhampton Wanderers. The towering Austrian center-forward admitted as much in his post-match interview with Sky Germany, saying that he pushed his tender hamstrings to the limit.
"I tried to hold oupas long as I could today," Kalajdzic told his interview, "At half-time they asked me: 'How long can you play?' Five minutes later, my hamstrings (back thigh muscles, editor's note) suddenly signaled that it was time. You can tell that I haven't played for a while."
Kalajdzic's head-coach found himself full of praise for his team following the hard-fought win. SGE trainer Toppmöller extended compliments to the squad for their "incredibly strong mentality". Toppmöller was sure to single out keeper Kevin Trapp for extra praise as the Eintracht net-minder preserved the scoreline with some important saves.
"We also had a bit of luck today," Toppmöller said of his victory over a team that recorded 31 shots on target, "but I have to say that the boys did an outstanding job. Leipzig are hard to defend."
Eintracht have now won away at Leipzig for the very first time. Three points gained at the end of the "Hin-Runde" leave the RheinMainAdler in sixth place at the midway point of the season. Frankfurt remain two points above Freiburg after Christian Streich's Bresigauer drew Union 0-0 earlier in the day, yet still three points behind Dortmund following the BVB's 3-0 victory over Darmstadt in the Saturday evening Top-Spiel.