"Electric": Eintracht women proud - match against Barcelona
Eintracht's women's footballers went into the Frankfurt night full of pride after their Champions League performance against FC Barcelona. "The first half was a parade half-time that you can show again and again, like in the textbook," said coach Niko Arnautis, praising his players after the 3-1 (1-0) defeat in their home game premiere in the group stage against the defending champions, who are currently regarded as the world's best club team in the women's competition. "I think we played an outstanding game today with the resources we had."
Arnautis saw "the next step in Eintracht Frankfurt's development" in front of 16,100 spectators at Deutsche Bank Park on Wednesday evening. The Bundesliga club had led at the break thanks to a goal from Laura Freigang (42nd minute), before Salma Paralluelo (48th/62nd) and Mariona Caldentey (59th) turned the match in the Spanish record champions' favor.
Freigang had mixed feelings after the final whistle, but said with a smile: "The first 45 minutes were magical. It was a great game today. The goal - that was simply electric. I've never experienced anything like it here."
In the Group A table, Frankfurt, who won 2:1 at FC Rosengard in Sweden in their opener, are second with three points, level on points with Benfica Lisbon behind Barcelona (6). The next match in the top flight will be in Portugal on December 13. "Our aim is definitely to think beyond the group," said defender Sophia Kleinherne after the clash with world champions such as Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí.
Kleinherne, who no longer had a good reputation with former national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, was just as convincing as her partner Sara Doorsoun. The two other German internationals Freigang and Nicole Anyomi also recommended themselves for the DFB team's next international matches in Denmark (December 1) and Wales (December 5). "I think they did some advertising on their own behalf today," said Arnautis.
Despite the 3-1 defeat, Eintracht Frankfurt's women's team continues to shine in the Champions League, showcasing their skills against Women's Champions League titlists FC Barcelona. In their upcoming Group A match, Eintracht will face Benfica Lisbon in Portugal, aiming to further their progress in the competition, featuring standout players like Laura Freigang, Sophia Kleinherne, Sara Doorsoun, and Nicole Anyomi.
Source: www.dpa.com
