Hütter misses win on league comeback for Eintracht Frankfurt

After the break, however, Cologne upped the tempo. Said El Mala equalized for the cathedral-city side in the 51st minute and brought the home fans back into the game. Shortly afterwards, Hoffenheim increased the pressure and went back in front through a goal scored by Ozan Kabak in the 67th minute. It was already the Turkish center-back's second goal of the season, further extending his unusual scoring rate for a defender.

Dallinga's brace decides the match

Frankfurt's response did not take long to arrive. Thijs Dallinga, who had only been loaned in from Bayer Leverkusen during the summer, struck in the 72nd minute to restore parity once again, demonstrating his adaptability to his new surroundings. In the closing stages, Dallinga then became the decisive figure: in the 82nd minute he netted his second goal of the day to turn the match in Cologne's favor.

For Hütter, the result represents a disappointment at the start of his second spell in charge at Frankfurt. The Austrian had previously managed the club and was brought in during the summer as the successor to the dismissed Dino Toppmöller. The defeat sees Frankfurt slip into the lower reaches of the table early in the season, already under pressure on matchday two.

Impact on the start of the season

Hoffenheim, by contrast, pick up important points in the battle to avoid relegation with their away win. Christian Ilzer's side put in a courageous performance and rewarded themselves with all three points despite Frankfurt's two equalizers. For Ilzer, it is an important signal following the summer squad overhaul.

Alongside the action on the pitch, personnel decisions also provided talking points. At Frankfurt, Nicolas Kristof was surprisingly included in the starting lineup after his injury layoff and was initially unable to make a decisive impact with his qualities. In addition, David Mokwa came on as a substitute, but failed to find the net.

Outlook on the upcoming fixtures

Attention now turns to the next matchday. Frankfurt host Union Berlin, while Hoffenheim welcome SV Elversberg. For Hütter, it will be crucial to shore up the defense and find a consistent style of play in order to avoid slipping into an early negative spiral.

The defeat once again illustrates just how tight the Bundesliga is this season. Even though Frankfurt went into the match as favorites, an average performance was not enough to get the better of a compact opponent. Hütter and his team now have two weeks to draw the right conclusions.