71 minutes against 10
Eintracht Frankfurt have continued their exhilarating weeks in the Europa League and are just a step away from their second international title in club history after lifting the UEFA Cup 42 years ago. The Hessians defeated West Ham United 1-0 (1-0) in the semi-final second leg on Thursday and can qualify for the Champions League for the first time with a triumph on May 18 in Seville. In front of 48,000 euphoric fans, the mild spring evening in the Main metropolis turned into a 90-minute long party all in white.
Rafael Borré (26th minute) scored the winning goal for coach Oliver Glasner’s team, who after winning the first leg 2-1 went into the second leg with a lead and are still unbeaten in the current competition. The early red card from West Ham’s full-back Aaron Creswell (19th) had an additional beneficial effect and was celebrated by the Frankfurt fans like a goal of their own. West Ham coach David Moyes also saw red in the 78th minute.
The game, which saw UEFA boss Aleksander Ceferin and various former Eintracht coaches in the stands, began with a bit of a shock for the hosts. Defense chief Martin Hinteregger was injured in a duel with Michail Antonio and had to go out after just seven minutes with a thigh injury. Three years ago, when Eintracht lost to Chelsea in the semifinals, the Austrian missed the decisive penalty.
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But this time everything went better from the start: When Creswell Frankfurt’s Jens Petter Hauge was the last man to fall, referee Jesus Gil Manzano reversed his original decision (yellow card) and sent the English defender off the field. After that, it wasn’t long before striker Borré scored to make it 1-0 after precise preparatory work from BVB loan Ansgar Knauff. The party in white, which was reminiscent of the guest appearance at the Camp Nou in Barcelona in its exuberance, was unstoppable for a long time.
Europa League: RB Leipzig fails at Glasgow Rangers
When the football party in the Ibrox witches’ cauldron reached its climax, the RB Leipzig players fell to the ground in disappointment and shock. Intimidated by the huge atmosphere, the Saxons missed the final of the Europa League and lost the first of two possible titles. Coach Domenico Tedesco’s team lost 3-1 (0-2) to Glasgow Rangers in the second leg of the semifinals on Thursday evening and carelessly gave up the 1-0 lead from the first duel.
In front of around 50,000 loud fans, James Tavernier (19th), Glen Kamara (24th) and John Lundstram (81st) shot the self-sacrificing Rangers into the final in Seville, where Eintracht Frankfurt awaited their opponents on May 18th. Leipzig, which was shortened in the meantime by Christopher Nkunku (70th), remains in the hunt for the first trophy in the club’s history this season only in the cup final against SC Freiburg.
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