Barcelona (dpa) – The Spanish media are convinced that FC Barcelona was lucky in the 1-1 quarter-final first leg of the Europa League with the strong team of Eintracht Frankfurt and got away with a black eye – but now the best chances in the second leg on progressing.
“Golden draw”, for example, ran the front page of the Catalan trade newspaper “Sport” on Friday. Spanish media comments on the match:
“Sport”: “Golden draw (…) Barça suffered from the physically strong and fast Germans. But they achieved a good result and now have the best chance of reaching the semifinals.”
“AS”: “Barça were literally overwhelmed in Frankfurt, but miraculously escaped alive. From what you saw on the pitch, the draw for Xavi’s team is an excellent result. Now everything will be decided at home in the camp nou.”
“Mundo Deportivo”: “Reacted in time. It was a bad game from Barça, but the result is good. Eintracht were the better team for long stretches. But the substitution of Frenkie de Jong and (Ousmane) Dembélé was crucial.”
‘Marca’: “The Barça coach (Xavi) tried to rotate in Frankfurt to include all the players. But in the end he had to go back to his usual plan to live out the trap Eintracht had set for his team Ousmane Dembélé came on to give the team the depth they lacked in the first hour of the game.”
“El Periódico”: “Barça trembled in Germany because of the cold, but also because of fear. It was a team from a time that was considered to have been overcome under Xavi: vulnerable, unstable and also insecure. Simply because Eintracht succeeded , to give the game the rhythm that suits the home team best (…) But after the final whistle, Barça could breathe a sigh of relief because the final verdict will not be made for a week at the Camp Nou.”
“La Vanguardia”: “In Frankfurt, Barça finally understood (if you didn’t know it beforehand) what a delicate situation you are in in the Europa League: you are obliged to win the trophy. The danger of the big favorite is that there will be more headlines if he loses than if he wins. A sword of Damocles that is difficult to live with”.