Frankfurt Come Up Short at Dortmund as Captain Koch Insists "We Tried Everything"
Eintracht Frankfurt left Dortmund empty-handed on Saturday evening, undone by a single goal, and captain Robin Koch made no attempt to hide his frustration as he reflected on a night that promised more than it delivered.
Speaking in his post-match interview, the Germany international centre-back said his team had given everything but had been punished at the worst possible moment.
"We tried everything"
“We tried everything, but conceded at a point when we weren't able to relieve the pressure enough and Dortmund had us pinned back,” Koch said.
The Frankfurt skipper was left wondering what might have been had his side taken one of the chances that came their way before the interval.
“The game might have turned out differently if we'd scored in the first half,” he added.
Koch was keen to stress that the defeat was not for want of effort, pointing to the attitude his team had shown only days earlier.
“We gave everything and wanted to show the same superb commitment and mentality we displayed against Köln,” he said. “This time away from home against one of the best teams in Germany we came up short despite a strong performance.”
For all the disappointment, the defender argued that the margins were slim enough that Frankfurt could easily have travelled home with something to show for their efforts.
“With a bit of luck, we could have come away with a 0-0 draw or even scored ourselves,” Koch said.
A captain under scrutiny who keeps answering back
The result lands on a captain who has been at the centre of the conversation in Frankfurt for weeks. Koch, 30, was withdrawn at half-time in the 6-0 rout at RB Leipzig earlier in October, a humiliation that prompted national scrutiny of his form and leadership.
He responded in the manner his club would have wanted: a commanding display in the 1-0 Bundesliga win over 1. FC Köln on 17 October 2026 — Frankfurt's first home league victory since March and their first clean sheet after conceding in 13 consecutive fixtures. At the time, Koch insisted he was happy to absorb Public blame if it protected his teammates, and said he would not change his understated leadership style “just so the cameras can catch it.”
According to the Bundesliga 2026-27 player data available as of 24 October 2026, Koch had made seven league appearances this season, scoring none and registering one assist — a snapshot that underlines how much of his value to Frankfurt is measured in organisation rather than output.
Against Dortmund, that organisation held for long stretches. But Frankfurt were eventually pinned back, and the one goal was enough to settle the contest.
Next up: a cup trip to Hamburg
There is little time for Frankfurt to dwell on the defeat. The Hessen club now face a daunting trip to Hamburger SV next Tuesday evening in the second round of the DFB-Pokal — a knockout fixture that offers an immediate chance to put a frustrating league night behind them.
For Koch, the message after Dortmund is straightforward: the performance was there, the result was not, and Frankfurt must now make sure the same commitment produces a different ending in the cup.