Tony Yeboah in Frankfurt: vs Widzew Lodz, September '92
Widzew's midfielder Mirosław Myślinski later described the giant digital rooster announcing every goal on Eintracht's scoreboard. "Long after that," he said, "I had nightmares of it crowing."
The first leg of the UEFA Cup tie between Widzew Lodz and Eintracht Frankfurt set up a potential cracker for the second leg. Lodz took a 2-0 lead in the first half, missing chances to score more, but in the second half Frankfurt clawed back a 2-2 draw. Neither team had been beaten in their domestic leagues; the game in Germany promised more close fought competition.
Things were different in Frankfurt. They looked different from the start. Frankfurt were still in their glossy red and black striped Puma shirts, with the intimidating name of Samsung written in capitals across the chest. But the white shirts and red shorts Widzew wore in the first leg, the latest thing in Adidas teamwear with three thick diagonal stripes on the shoulders and shorts, were replaced by different white shirts and white shorts from a different era of Adidas. With 'Müller Milch' written on the front, in red on most shirts but black on others, they looked like something found in the bargain bin of a vintage boutique behind Leeds Corn Exchange.
The early stages lived up to expectations, though, with help from a referee who wouldn't be pushed. A late tackle on Axel Kruse was ignored, and when he stayed down, the Frankfurt forward was told to get up and get on with it. Each side had an early penalty claim that, even in 1992, you'd seen given.
In the eighth minute Frankfurt were given the lead, and Widzew's trouble started. Eintracht's right-winger was Jay-Jay Okocha, later of not only Paris-Saint Germain but Bolton Wanderers, and his run into midfield caused panic. Some in the Lodz defence went to him, one dropped back to mark Kruse; their line was a zig-zag, somewhere near the centre circle, with plenty of space behind it for Okocha to place his through ball. Kruse had a headstart on all but his marker, but he'd lost him anyway, and it was easy to go around the keeper and score.
Six minutes later it was 2-0, and Kruse again; a clearance went straight to Frankfurt, and a cross caught Lodz out, Kruse scoring a diving header at the near post.
A quarter of an hour had been played and already it was hard to understand how Lodz had come so close to winning the first leg. Their offside trap was feeble, always high and never aligned; the fluffed clearance before the second goal was not a one-off, as almost every pass forward went to a red and black shirt. Lodz looked out of their depth, and Frankfurt already had Kruse looking for a hat-trick.
They also had his strike partner, who was a certain Anthony Yeboah. And although he hadn't scored yet, he quite fancied a hat-trick too. In the 21st minute, he got started.