For a sunny Saturday afternoon during pandemic times, the S-Bahn is exceptionally well filled.

You can tell where you want to go by your clothes and you can see it at the Stadion stop at the latest: for the first soccer game in front of an audience in the Waldstadion in around nine months.

On that day at 3.30 p.m., Eintracht Frankfurt's test match against the French first division club AS St-Étienne will kick off.

Fans drink beer from half-liter plastic cups.

Even before the game, the voices are louder and roaring than usual, you laugh, you clap each other like a friend in greeting.

A lot looks like it did before March 2020. On the way from the S-Bahn station to the Waldstadion, however, it is noticeable that instead of a huge crowd, a crowd of people loosely distributed over the route is moving to the game.

For the weaned eye it is still a large group, and isolated voices let out: "Oh, there are a few people!"

Disinfectants from canisters

Dennis Kowalsky and Jaspin Kuhn came from Gießen for the game. You are not a regular stadium visitor and actually wanted to let the Frankfurt fans go first. But when they found out on Friday that there were still tickets left, they took the chance and spontaneously made their way to Frankfurt. The anticipation of the event is written on their faces. They look forward to getting to know the new Eintracht players, seeing Frankfurt and talking to friends at the game again.

The closer the kick-off gets, the more contagious the anticipation becomes. Fans are singing on the way to the entrance, arms in the air. A pulsating bass can be heard from the stadium. It is noticeable that people adhere to the hygiene guidelines of Eintracht. Posters around the stadium refer to the well-known rules, security staff ask a fan here and there to keep the mask on in front of the stadium, and men offer disinfectant from canisters on their backs.

In the stadium itself, the volume generated by the fans is impressive.

The Eintracht players are greeted with thunderous applause, the kick-off is drowned out by the roar of the fans.

And that although only a fifth of the places are occupied.

The upper tiers are empty, the rows closer to the playing field are not fully occupied, even in the double checkerboard pattern: between two occupied and two free seats there are always several empty chairs.

In front of around 10,000 spectators, the Eintracht players complete their last test match before the start of the Bundesliga.

Previously there had been a dispute over the number of spectators: the city approved 10,000 spectators, the state wanted to limit the number of fans to 5,000, but finally gave in.

Half of the fans had recovered or had been vaccinated twice, the other 5,000 had a negative corona test.

If everyone in the stadium rises to chants like “Stand up, if you are an eagle”, there is no gapless wave.

But it is enough for the optical effect.

There are also no big flags to be seen, there are no drums and megaphones.

The fans were asked to forego it.

Possibly the attempt to keep the Ultras Frankfurt away from the game.

They had already announced in September 2020 that they would only come back to the stadium when all seats could be occupied.

Many are standing in spite of their seats

It quickly becomes clear that the fans present are having fun.

Many of them are standing in spite of their seats, there is jumping, the mood does not decrease even after the guests from France conceded a goal.

"It was great for us," said Till Karlus after the game.

He and his twelve-year-old son would have got goose bumps.

Almost everyone had consistently adhered to the corona measures.

They only saw one person who bought a bratwurst without a mask.

Jonas Lipper and Johannes Heyter are also satisfied with the game.

“But you noticed that the Ultras weren't there,” they say.

The mood was not worse, but different.

In some situations they would have wished that the seats next to them had also been taken.

"It was nice to put drinks down."

Sophie and Manfred Nesswetter feel safe in the stadium. They are double vaccinated and have been going to the game in pairs for 30 years anyway - so they have no problem with the seating arrangement. Only the arrival and departure is problematic. And indeed: After the game, fans sing loudly at the bus stops in a beer mood, distance is not maintained. Even on the train to Sachsenhausen, some people forget to put on their masks. Such groups are an exception at the dress rehearsal for Eintracht and the fans. A large part of the audience are families, the crowd dissolves quickly after the game, without any major mob - after all, Eintracht has won.