Niko Kovac's second and final season at Eintracht Frankfurt proved to be his most successful one as he compensated for missing out on a top six finish in the Bundesliga by steering them to their first major trophy in two decades as Frankfurt lifted the DFB Cup trophy by beating Bayern Munchen.
A poor second half of the campaign had cost Frankfurt a place in the top half the previous season, and Kovac embarked on a major rebuilding job over the summer, bringing in as many as 12 new players, with Sebastien Haller, Ante Rebic and Kevin Prince Boateng being the biggest names.
Though they lost their captain and top scorer Alexander Meier to a lengthy injury spell, Frankfurt overcame a shaky start to establish themselves in the top half of the league table. The new signings quickly settled down with Rebic striking a good understanding with Haller up front, but it was David Abraham's performances at the back that proved to be crucial for Frankfurt's fortunes, especially in the second half of the season.
Four wins and a draw from their first six games of 2018 saw Frankfurt break into the top four, and with teams around them struggling for consistency, Kovac's side remained in the hunt for a Champions League qualification spot right until the final weeks of the season.
The Eagles were also progressing steadily in the DFB Cup, though it was not until the semi-final stage that they came across a tough opponent. However, they were able to see off Schalke's challenge with a narrow win to set up the final date with Bayern.
They hit a rough patch in the league campaign though, and a return of just one point from six games starting in April saw them not only get knocked out of the Champions League race, but also finish eighth in the table which meant they would not have qualified for Europe unless they won against Bayern, something which they did do with a shock 3-1 win in the DFB Cup final.
