Eintracht Frankfurt – Borussia Dortmund: Şahin’s Slump Continues as Toppmöller Triumphs (2-0)

Two teams with differing narratives of overperformance and underachievement faced off, showcasing the reasons behind their current trajectories. Eintracht Frankfurt continued their winning momentum with another victory, whilst Borussia Dortmund's struggles showed no signs of easing.

Tactical analysis and match report by Fahd Ahmed.

The season narratives for Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund have been vastly different. Under Dino Toppmöller, Frankfurt have had a thrilling first half to the Bundesliga campaign with high hopes of finishing the season with a top-four finish – a feat that the club has not achieved in the senior division for over two decades. Meanwhile, Dortmund, a club that has consistently finished in the top four whilst winning the Meisterschale on numerous occasions over the same period, are struggling this season as they sit far away from their usual competitors.

Frankfurt went through a tough December period, collecting only one victory against Heidenheim and a draw against Augsburg, with the remaining fixtures ending in defeats. The turn of the new year, however, sparked a resurgence in the results with two back-to-back wins over St. Pauli and Freiburg. On the other hand, Dortmund have not enjoyed a bright start to 2025, with dramatic defeats against Bayer Leverkusen and Holstein Kiel where they conceded seven goals over those two matches. So, ahead of the match and even over the broader course of the season, Frankfurt and Dortmund have had diverging narratives.

Toppmöller did . . .