Noah Atubolu shines in Rhine-Main derby victory
With Jürgen Klopp watching from the stands, Eintracht Frankfurt turned a Rhine-Main derby into a statement – and their goalkeeper turned it into his personal stage.
A 3-1 win away at 1. FSV Mainz 05, a convincing team performance, and in the middle of it all: Noah Atubolu, the penalty specialist who just will not blink.
Another penalty, another victim
The game sat on a knife edge in the 43rd minute. Frankfurt led 1-0 thanks to Jonny Burkardt, of all people, the former Mainz forward striking against his old club. The hosts, flat for long spells, suddenly had their moment.
Penalty to Mainz. Captain Nadiem Amiri on the spot. A chance to drag his side level just before the break, to flip the mood in the stadium.
He never got that chance.
Amiri went the same way as Romano Schmid, Andre Silva, Florian Wirtz, Kevin Volland and Josip Juranovic before him. He walked up, struck the ball – and watched Atubolu shut the door.
Sixth consecutive penalty saved in the Bundesliga. Six. In a row.
The 24-year-old, who had pushed for a Premier League move in the summer and only arrived in Frankfurt on Deadline Day after a drawn-out saga, extended his own league record in Mainz. In front of the Germany head coach. On derby day. The timing could hardly have been louder.
A “wizard in goal” is how many already describe him. On this evidence, it does not feel exaggerated.
From turning point to knockout blow
The penalty save did more than protect a narrow lead. It broke Mainz’s momentum just as they felt life returning.
The punishment was immediate.
Seconds later, Frankfurt struck again. Can Uzun finished off a ruthless attack to make it 2-0 right on the stroke of half-time, the kind of goal that drains belief from a home crowd and sends the away end into disbelief.
After the restart, Mainz tried to respond, but the pattern stayed the same: Frankfurt composed, compact, and deadly when space appeared. The pressure finally told again on the hour mark.
Uzun popped up once more and buried the 3-0, effectively ending the contest with 30 minutes still to play. A brace in a derby, away from home, with your national coach in the stands – it was that kind of afternoon for Frankfurt’s key performers.
Mainz kept pushing for something to cling to and eventually found a late consolation through Phillip Tietz in the 89th minute. By then, the points were long gone.
A clear message to Klopp
The sight of Klopp in the stands inevitably sharpened the focus on Atubolu. Six straight saved penalties in the Bundesliga is not just a quirky stat; it is a record he now owns outright and continues to stretch.
He has not always been untouchable from the spot. In 2023 and 2024, Julian Weigl, Lois Openda and Marvin Ducksch all converted against him in his first three Bundesliga penalties faced. Those early setbacks now look like the prologue to a remarkable transformation.
Since then, every new taker has run into the same wall.
For the DFB, the question is no longer whether Atubolu is on the radar. Performances like this, under derby pressure and national-team scrutiny, read like a direct application for a first call-up when the international break begins on 17 September.
On a day when Frankfurt controlled the derby and Uzun wrapped up the scoreline, it was the man in goal who defined the story – and perhaps nudged open a door to the national team.
