Eintracht Frankfurt captain Robin Koch has earned special praise from head coach Adi Hütter following Friday evening’s 1-0 Bundesliga victory over 1. FC Cologne. The German international’s improved performance came just six days after he was withdrawn at halftime during Frankfurt’s humiliating 6-0 defeat away at RB Leipzig. Hütter, who had publicly criticized Koch following that match, made a point of recognizing his captain’s contribution to the team’s much-needed clean sheet.

Younes Ebnoutalib’s 77th-minute winner secured Frankfurt’s first Bundesliga home victory since March 14th. For Hütter, however, the improvement in defensive organization was just as significant as the result. The Austrian spoke of his satisfaction with the team’s reaction at the post-match press conference.

“We fought back,” Hütter noted. “The team showed a new face from the first minute onward. To win 1-0 after a 0-6 shellacking isn’t just important for us, but also – after six months during which we didn’t win at home – something that makes me very happy for our fans and all the supporters here in Frankfurt. [It’s important] that we were once again allowed to celebrate a home win.”

“At this point, I’d like to convey extra praise for Robin Koch,” Hütter continued. “He showed today what he’s capable of. The fact that we kept a clean sheet after conceding six times in a smackdown is very important.”

The comments represented a remarkable turnaround from the previous week. Koch had endured a miserable evening against Leipzig and was substituted at halftime. Hütter made no attempt to disguise the performance-related nature of the decision.

As Get German Football News reported ahead of the Cologne encounter , Hütter nevertheless rejected any suggestion that his captain might lose his place in the starting XI.

“Robin will play on Friday and remain captain,” Hütter insisted at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference. “There’s absolutely no discussion about that. Naturally, I also expect Robin to use his voice as a leader to organize the team. That’s something I particularly missed in the first half against Leipzig.”

Koch duly returned to the starting lineup alongside Lilian Brassier and delivered a considerably more assured performance. The 30-year-old wasn’t completely faultless, notably failing to close down Said El Mala quickly enough during the Cologne attacker’s spectacular first-half solo run.