The international break was looming at Eintracht Frankfurt with a fairly drab goalless draw against Mainz beckoning. When Ritsu Doan got on the ball in the 80th minute and proceeded to slalom his way past two defenders before dispatching the winner with his preferred left foot, there was an understandable outpouring of joy and relief in the nearby Nordwestkurve , the loudest part of the stadium.

The Mainz game was the very definition of an Arbeitssieg (a win requiring a lot of toil). Indeed, the first half offered little inspiration from either side, and Eintracht's sporting CEO Markus Krösche later described it as "not having too much to do with football."

Eintracht have placed the emphasis on keeping the opposition quiet in their past two competitive games, and with good reas

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