Niko Ilicevic has become the youngest player in Eintracht Frankfurt's history to appear in the Bundesliga, making his debut at 16 years and one day old. The teenager came on in the 90th minute during Sunday's 3:1 home win over Hamburger SV, writing a new chapter for the club. The victory in front of 59,600 spectators at the Waldstadion solidified Eintracht's eighth place in the table, now on 11 points from eight matches.

Manager Adi Hütter was impressed by his youngest professional after the match. "He is really good, that is already breathtaking," said the coach. Ilicevic, who celebrated his 16th birthday on Saturday, managed nine ball contacts, six sprints and two shots on target during his brief cameo. His debut was delayed by over two minutes as referee Florian Exner processed the substitution correctly.

Record and Reality

With his introduction, Ilicevic now shares the record as the youngest Bundesliga player of all time with Youssoufa Moukoko, who once played for Borussia Dortmund. Within Eintracht, he is now the undisputed record holder. Board spokesman Axel Hellmann, however, urged caution in handling the talent. "I tend to keep things a bit in perspective, because we do no favours to a 16-year-old if we hype him too much," Hellmann stated. The club is pleased with the successful integration of a youth player who has been training with the first team for four months.

The Croatian-born talent, whose uncle Ivo played 137 Bundesliga matches mostly for HSV, will continue to play for the U21s in the Regionalliga to gain match practice. He holds a promotional contract with Eintracht and is set to sign his first professional deal at 18. Ilicevic came through the club's academy, playing for the U17s since age 13 and the U19s since 14.

The Match Action

The win against 15th-placed HSV was hard-fought. After an own goal by HSV defender Warmed Omari in the 10th minute, Terem Moffi equalised for the visitors just four minutes later. Raphael Onyedika put Eintracht back ahead in the 47th minute. The decisive 3:1 final score was secured by Younes Ebnoutalib in the 69th minute following an assist from Can Uzun. Ebnoutalib is currently the team's top scorer this season with six goals. Mario Götze, who was substituted on for Noel Aseko in the 74th minute, received a yellow card.

The success marked a second consecutive win for Hessen, who have won three and lost two of their last five matches. The team has scored 13 goals this season but also conceded 18. The next task is an away fixture on Saturday against 14th-placed SC Paderborn 07. The current standings show Eintracht seven points behind leaders Bayern Munich. In the chaotic post-match celebrations, the record debutant even took a hit to the face from mascot Attila, an unusual welcome on a historic day.

This story first appeared at FAZ Sport