Frankfurt’s magical night in Barcelona – “It was perfect the way it was”
After the final whistle, players and fans in Barcelona’s stadium celebrated their entry into the semi-finals
Quelle: Getty Images/David Ramos
Remarkable scenes play out in the stadium after the win against Barcelona. Accordingly, Frankfurt’s players express themselves emotionally afterwards. Barcelona’s coaches and players, on the other hand, criticize their club because of the many Frankfurt fans in the stadium.
Dhe final whistle had just sounded when the great hike began at Barcelona’s Camp Nou. Thousands of Frankfurt fans came from all corners of the huge stadium onto the back straight and formed a huge white block.
Then the supporters celebrated their Eintracht professionals for the sensational victory to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League. Impressive pictures that should burn deep into the memories of Eintracht fans.
Coaches and players were correspondingly emotional after the 3: 2 (2: 0) against FC Barcelona. In front of 90,000 spectators – including 30,000 Eintracht fans – Filip Kostic (4th minute) and Rafael Borré (36th) scored before the break at Camp Nou in Barcelona.
Crazy scenery in Barcelona: An estimated 30,000 Frankfurt fans were in the stadium and celebrated their team after the victory
Quelle: Getty Images/David Ramos
In the second half, Kostic (67′) went further, Sergio Busquets (90′ + 1′) and Memphis Depay (90′ + 10) reduced the deficit with a penalty kick in injury time. In the semi-finals, Frankfurt will meet West Ham United on April 28 and May 5.
“It was perfect the way it was,” said Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp on “RTL” and already looked at the semifinals: “We showed today that we don’t have to hide from anyone. Of course we want to make it to the final.”
“It’s unbelievable what the guys did. They made it unnecessarily exciting at the back, but it was outstanding for 85 minutes,” praised coach Oliver Glasner after the game and continued: “A huge compliment to the boys and to the curve, the fans who supported us. It was a wonderful evening. Anyone who was able to be there will not forget this evening, whether on the pitch or in the stands. No money in the world can buy moments like that.”
Even Sebastian Rode couldn’t quite make it into the semi-finals shortly after the win. “It’s an incredible feeling of happiness. We played an outstanding game,” said Frankfurt’s captain and thanked the fans: “It started with the warm-up. We had goosebumps when we saw the fans. We just wanted to win there.”
The other reactions to the football night in Barcelona:
Xavi, Barcelona Trainer: “This is a huge disappointment. Eintracht Frankfurt was better, especially in the first half. We tried in the second half. But we weren’t good enough. The club now controls how many Frankfurt fans could be in the stadium. That didn’t help us.”
Ronald Araújo, Barcelona centre-back: “It’s a shame to lose this game. Aside from the result, we accomplished what we had been working on. We made three mistakes and they made three goals from them. At this level in Europe, these are mistakes that cannot be made.”
…the elimination: “You can say it’s a failure. We wanted to win this Europa League, it would have been very important for this project and for the young players. We have to get our heads up now, keep working. There are still league games left and next season will be a very nice one.”
…the many Frankfurt fans in the stadium: “We knew we had to put our football on the pitch, but I’m surprised there are so many people in our stadium. The club will have to see what happened that there are so many opponent fans there.”
