The title chasers from Eintracht Frankfurt reach for the dream destination on their spectacular European Cup trip.
Coach Oliver Glasner’s team once again celebrated a magical night at West Ham United and won the incredibly loud first part of the semifinals in the Europa League 2-1 (1-1). This means that the Hessians hold all the final tickets for their home game next Thursday.
Ansgar Knauff was already hoping for a coup like in the quarterfinals against FC Barcelona after just 49 seconds, before Michail Antonio (21st) hit back before the break.
But Daichi Kamada (54th) ensured the third away win of the knockout stage for SBU, which is now even enough for a draw in the second leg.
“It was a concentrated performance until the end. We wanted to take the first step towards the final. We were brave,” said goalkeeper Kevin Trapp on “RTL”.
In the final on May 18, there would be a German duel with RB Leipzig or a clash with Glasgow Rangers.
Eintracht Frankfurt fans loud again
After the “eagle invasion” with 30,000 supporters dressed in white at the Camp Nou, thousands of Eintracht fans flocked to the Olympic Stadium from 2012. However, only 3,000 of them were allowed into the arena, outside the guest block the hosts pursued a “zero tolerance policies”.
But even the small guest block made itself felt loudly from the start, the team without the suspended Evan Ndicka and Kristijan Jakic let themselves be carried away on the field.
With the first action, the Hessians combined cleverly on the left side, Knauff used the perfect cross from Rafael Borre with a header on the second post. But then some carelessness crept into the combination game, again and again the Bundesliga club invited the Brits to quick counterattacks. Keeper Kevin Trapp deflected a shot from Jarrod Bowen with his foot on the post (14th), but then Antonio scored from a dubious free kick.
Several aluminum hits on both sides
As a result, a duel developed at eye level with enormous intensity and many duels in midfield.
Frankfurt tried a lot via crosses from Filip Kostic, while the team of team manager David Moyes preferred to look for the way through the center. In this phase, both teams lacked determination, Knauff (37th) narrowly missed the only other chance before the break.
Even after the change, the SGE got off to a better start, after a dream combination in the penalty area, Kamada dusted off. As a result, the Glasner team was more likely to lurk on the counterattack, leaving West Ham to control the game. It became dangerous for Trapp’s goal, especially from set pieces and from a distance, Said Benrahma’s crack (69th) still touched the outer post.
At the other end, Kamada was unlucky to hit the post (79′). In added time, Bowen hit the crossbar with an overhead kick.