Ten months of courage and hard work | OneFootball

Champions League qualification, Europa League quarter-finalists, the last 16 of the DFB Cup and plenty of exciting new arrivals. The story of Eintracht’s 2024/25 season.

At 17:35 CEST on Saturday 17 May, it was finally official: Eintracht Frankfurt had secured a place in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League and could now look forward to top-level European football in the continent’s premier club competition next season. We look back on an impressive and eventful campaign for the Eagles.

July: New faces, new experiences

When Eintracht returned for pre-season training, they not only introduced two new assistant coaches in Xaver Zembrod and Jan Fießer but also unveiled summer arrivals Can Uzun, Oscar Højlund and Rasmus Kristensen. Not long after that, it was off to the USA on the Frankfurt Americas Tour. “Fundamentally, it was about pushing the boys to their limits,” head coach Dino Toppmöller said following the training camp in the States. “It was a strenuous trip with certain stresses and strains, time differences, jet lag and heat. The boys coped with it all incredibly well.”

August: First big tests

Centre-back Willian Pacho joined Paris Saint-Germain on the eve of Eintracht’s final friendly of pre-season against Valencia, while goalkeeper Kevin Trapp was confirmed as the new club captain six days later. After beating Eintracht Braunschweig 4-1 in the first round of the DFB Cup, the Eagles also managed to fill the void left by Pacho at the heart of their defence with Arthur Theate, who joined the club from Stade Rennais. In the Bundesliga, Toppmöller’s team followed up a 2-0 defeat at Borussia Dortmund in their opening game with a 3-1 home win over TSG Hoffenheim. They also secured the services of Mo Dahoud just before the transfer window slammed shut.

September: Santos makes debut

The Eagles returned to action following the first international break of the campaign with a 2-1 victory over VfL Wolfsburg. Brazilian goalkeeper Kaua Santos made his Bundesliga debut in the second half following an injury to Trapp. Two more league wins followed, but Eintracht’s momentum was stalled – temporarily at least – by Viktoria Plzeň, who recovered from 3-1 down to salvage a 3-3 draw in the Europa League.

October: Statement wins over Besiktas and Gladbach

Santos and Hugo Larsson both extended their contracts with the club until 2030. Eintracht triumphed 3-1 in Besiktas in the Europa League before earning an impressive last-minute 3-3 draw at home to Bayern Munich. They also progressed to the next round of the DFB Cup, triumphing 2-1 over Borussia Mönchengladbach despite playing 80 minutes with ten men. “We don’t feel tiredness, it’s all in the mind,” striker Hugo Ekitiké declared afterwards.

November: Five from five

A remarkable 7-2 win over VfL Bochum at Deutsche Bank Park – one of five straight wins in all competitions in November – lifted the Eagles into third place in the Bundesliga table. In-form forward Omar Marmoush scored from a direct free-kick in three consecutive games, but defender Aurèle Amenda suffered a high ankle sprain on his senior Switzerland debut and was ruled out for several months.

December: Hard lessons in Leipzig and Lyon

After cruising to a 4-0 win at Heidenheim, Eintracht were knocked out of the DFB Cup at the last-16 stage by Leipzig before suffering their first Europa League defeat of the season in Lyon. “We weren’t as good in those games and it cost us,” reflected board member for sport Markus Krösche. Despite picking up only one point in their final three games of the year, Eintracht managed to hold on to third spot. In Nnamdi Collins, another highly rated player – who was fast becoming a key member of the first team – committed his long-term future to the club. Danish midfielder Højlund also returned to action after suffering a broken metatarsal at the end of August.

January: Fast start as Marmoush departs

The Eagles registered wins over St. Pauli, Freiburg and Dortmund in the space of just eight days in mid-January. Marmoush, whose move to Manchester City was being finalised, watched the 2-0 victory over Borussia – in which Højlund scored his first Bundesliga goal – from the stands. Eintracht’s then top scorer bade an emotional farewell to his team-mates and the supporters after the full-time whistle. “In a short space of time, Omar has managed to embody huge popularity and authenticity with his character and style of play,” said club CEO Axel Hellmann. “Last but not least, he’s leaving the club on good terms. Saying goodbye to a player in this way is unique.”

The Eagles ended the league phase of the Europa League with a 2-0 defeat at AS Roma, but they finished fifth in the table to secure automatic qualification to the last 16. Elye Wahi had already completed his move to the club, but the French striker was not yet eligible to play.

February: Koch missed

Eintracht secured the services of striker Michy Batshuayi, while his Belgian compatriot Theate was signed on a permanent basis at the beginning of the month, having initially joined the club on loan.

Back-to-back 1-1 draws against Wolfsburg and Mönchengladbach were followed by a 4-0 defeat at Bayern. Koch, who missed those three games through injury, returned to action on 1 March but was unable to prevent a 4-1 loss at home to Bayer Leverkusen.

March: Götze’s golden goal

Toppmöller’s charges overpowered AFC Ajax in the last 16 of the Europa League, triumphing 2-1 away and 4-1 at home. Jean-Mattéo Bahoya scored his first goal for the club in the return leg, while Mario Götze found the net from 40 metres out at Deutsche Bank Park. Eintracht’s playmaker continued his fine form with the only goal in an impressive 1-0 win at home to VfB Stuttgart, but a shin problem condemned first-choice keeper Trapp to a spell on the sidelines.

April: Crunch time in Europe With seven games left to play, Eintracht’s domestic and European fate remained very much in their hands. Against Tottenham in the Europa League quarter-finals, the Eagles drew 1-1 in London before losing 1-0 at home to exit the competition. The defeat in the return leg was compounded by an ACL injury to Santos, while Götze was also ruled out for the rest of the campaign. There were mixed results domestically too, as the Eagles registered a win, a draw and a defeat before thumping closest pursuers Leipzig 4-0 on home soil. The signing of Kristensen on a permanent basis provided a timely boost for Toppmöller’s team.

May: Third time lucky

The Eagles entered the final straight with little margin for error, but Kristensen stepped up to the plate. The tough-tackling Dane scored in all Eintracht’s final three games – a 1-1 draw in Mainz, a 2-2 draw at home to St. Pauli and a 3-1 win in Freiburg on the final day which confirmed their place in next season’s Champions League. Timothy Chandler signed a one-year extension, while Toppmöller put pen to paper on a contract until 2028 two days before the crucial victory in the Black Forest – a result which provided the final flourish to a magnificent season.