Niko Kovac Returns to Former Club Frankfurt for Film Premiere of Historic DFB-Pokal Triumph
Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovač returned to his former club Eintracht Frankfurt on Monday for the premiere of Die Rückkehr des Pokals (The Return of the Cup), a movie about the Eagles' road to lifting the DFB-Pokal last season.
Eintracht Frankfurt last lifted Germany's domestic cup in 1988, but last season's triumph saw Kovač's side end their wait for silverware in dramatic fashion against Bayern Munich in the final.
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Kicker confirmed that Kovač, along with his brother and assistant Robert, travelled to the Kinopolis cinema in Frankfurt for the premiere earlier this week.
The film will be shown for fans in a select amount of cinemas from February 4, although Kicker advises that fans "should not forget a packet of handkerchiefs" as the film, which was created in collaboration with Warner Bros, is packed with emotional moments.
Frankfurt's journey to the trophy last season was fascinating. After cruising past TuS Erndtebrück and FC Schweinfurt 05 in the first two rounds of the cup, the Eagles then had to battle their way past FC Heidenheim, Mainz 05 and Schalke 04 to book their place at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
By the time that May 19 finally came around, it was already known that Eintracht Frankfurt manager Kovač would be leaving that summer to take charge of their upcoming opponents in the capital, Bayern Munich.
Even neutrals were captivated by the occasion and all-but Bayern Munich fans were cheering just 11 minutes into the match when Ante Rebić dispossessed James Rodríguez before converting a brilliant counter-attack.
Robert Lewandowski's deflected effort pulled Bayern Munich back into the game, but with just 10 minutes remaining Rebić once again stunned the Bavarians on the break to restore Frankfurt's narrow advantage.
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The Bundesliga champions were then robbed of a penalty in added time, but there was just enough seconds on the clock for Mijat Gaćinović to run the length of the pitch and seal Frankfurt's win with one of the most memorable goals in DFB-Pokal history.
