Eintracht Frankfurt Crush FC Gießen 7-1; Burkardt Scores Rabona Stunner

Frankfurt – A successful start for returning coach Adi Hütter (56). In their first preseason friendly, Eintracht Frankfurt secured a commanding 7-1 victory against FC Gießen in front of nearly 5,000 fans, showing real promise for the new season, especially in the first half. Jonathan Burkardt (26) was a particular highlight.

The striker scored a brace against the Hessen league side and delivered the absolute highlight of the evening just before halftime: Following a through ball from Oscar Højlund (21), he spectacularly fired the ball into the net via a rabona – striking with his right foot behind his left standing leg. A dream goal.

Hütter later enthused: "If he pulls that off in the Bundesliga, it could even be the goal of the year. You have to have the courage to try it. But for me, he's a brave striker." He was largely satisfied with his team's performance: "After the first week of training, this was a good test. I really liked what I saw for 65, 70 minutes."

Ebnoutalib with a Fine Return to Gießen

The goal fest began as early as the 11th minute. Younes Ebnoutalib (22), who played for Gießen for six months in 2024, scored the 1-0 opener at his former stomping ground. The striker told EintrachtTV: "It was definitely special. I still know a few players from here, and it was really nice to see them again." He was also pleased with his own strong start: "It gives you a bit of motivation and energy."

After making it 1-0, he set up the 2-0 goal for Marvin Dills (19) with a clever backheel pass. Burkardt then made it 3-0 before producing his rabona masterpiece for the 4-0. After the break, Frankfurt made a complete line change. Malik Pimpong (18) scored a brace on his Eintracht debut (57'/69'), with Love Arrhov (18) netting the 6-0 in between. Gießen managed a consolation goal through Sercan Süsin just before the final whistle.

What Hütter Criticized Against Gießen

Despite this, Hütter wasn't entirely happy. He was displeased with the final phase: "After 20 minutes of the second half, the game just petered out. I'll have a word with the lads about that. But you have to remember it was only the first week of training, and there were a lot of young players out there."

Jean-Mattéo Bahoya (21, with Tottenham Hotspur showing strong interest) was absent from the test. Hütter provided the explanation: "He had some pain in his adductor area yesterday before training, nothing serious. He'll rejoin training on Monday."