Just as the supporters of Eintracht Frankfurt took over the city center for two days (and now also nights), so it peaked from 9 p.m. on Thursday evening in Camp Nou. The Germans in their white shirts could be seen all over the stadium and drowned out the Catalan crowd, especially when the hard core of Barça went in at halftime and only came out ten minutes later. It was furious about the dissent of a Frenkie-less Barcelona in the first half: 0-2. It turned out that one of the largest football temples in the world would be Eintracht for one magical evening.
The fans of Eintracht could already believe in their fairy tale within two minutes, after the 1-1 at home a week earlier. Referee Artur Luis Soares pointed to the penalty spot within two minutes when Eric Garcia fouled. Filip Kostic, the ex-Groninger who had already bare the turf on the left flank in Germany a week earlier, made his first of the evening. It turned out to be the prelude to much more beautiful things for the Germans.
Barca came close to 1-1 in the minute, when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang headed over a cross from Ousmane Dembele. And nine minutes later again, when defender Ronald Araujo fired over from close range. But a scenario was unfolding more and more clearly, in which Eintracht could hope for more. It didn’t work out at Barça, with a missing Frenkie de Jong in the first 45 minutes, an invisible Pedri and a possibly overzealous Gavi (he took yellow by knocking down Jesper Lindstrøm in a counterattack). The small La Masia talent would therefore miss the first game in the semi-finals.
Beautiful bang Borré
Seven minutes before half-time, the Germans did not believe what had happened to them, when Colombian striker Rafael Santos Borré let a missile leave from his foot from about 25 meters. He hit it hard behind Barça goalie Marc-André Ter Stegen into the roof of the goal. He was not the only astonished German, but 30,000 others imagined themselves in football heaven within a second.
The Frankfurt of trainer Oliver Glasner kept poking through the defense of the Catalans. Goalkeeper Kevin Trapp poked up his own supporters at the halftime signal, but it couldn’t get any crazier.
Or so it turned out in the second half. Lindstrøm shot at Ter Stegen from a counter and minutes after Portuguese referee Soares Dias replaced his broken audio equipment (which also took minutes), Kostic flawlessly shot his second goal into the far corner from the left: 0-3. It suited another strong performance by the Serbian number ten, who has matured enormously in his German years and is one of the leaders of this Frankfurt.
In minute 70 it was time for Luuk de Jong to come in, but yes, at 0-3… Ten minutes later, Memphis, who had returned from an injury, was also added. It didn’t help for a long time, until Sergio Busquets shot in the 1-3 shortly before time, but he turned out to be offside from close by. In minute 91 he shot a falling ball into the far corner from outside the penalty area: 1-3. Luuk de Jong had a chance at 2-3 for two minutes, but hit the side net from an almost impossible corner. Memphis was allowed to score a penalty in minute 111 and did not fail, his effort went just over the goal line through the bottom of the bar. It was too late and finished right after the 2-3.
The dreamed-of miracle evening for Eintracht Frankfurt came true in Camp Nou. In the semi-finals, England’s West Ham United await, which eliminated Peter Bosz’s Olympique Lyon after the 1-1 in England: 0-3.
Atalanta disabled
Marten de Roon, Hans Hateboer and Teun Koopmeiners failed to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League with Atalanta. The Italian sub-topper lost at home in Bergamo from RB Leipzig: 0-2.
Hans Hateboer (r.) takes on the aerial duel with André Silva.
ANP/HH
For Leipzig, that was more than enough for the next round, after the first game in Germany had ended in 1-1. After just over fifteen minutes, the German formation took the lead. Christopher Nkunku fired in from close range, after Konrad Laimer rushed down the right flank.
Hateboer was close to the equalizer after about an hour, but his effort went just over. Just before time, Leipzig ran further through a utilized penalty from Nkunku. De Roon, Hateboer and Koopmeiners were all three basic players in the Italian formation of trainer Gian Piero Gasperini.
View the results in the Europa League here