Eintracht Frankfurt win Europa League

By Andrew Lord

19 May 2022

Eintracht Frankfurt have won the Europa League after beating Glasgow Rangers in a penalty shoot-out. It is the club’s first European trophy since winning the UEFA Cup 42 years ago.

Columbian striker Rafael Borré scored the decisive penalty to give Frankfurt a 5-4 victory after Kevin Trapp had saved Aaron Ramsey’s spot kick.

Joe Aribo had given Rangers the lead after 57 minutes following a defensive mix-up. But Frankfurt fought back and Rafael Borré made it 1-1 after steering home a Filip Kostic cross with 69 minutes on the clock.

The game ended all square and was followed by a scrappy 30 minutes of extra-time as the players struggled to cope with the 30 degree heat at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium in Seville.

The Europa League victory, which was the first European trophy for the Eagles since 1980, means that Eintracht Frankfurt have earned a place in next year’s Champions League and will enter the competition at the group stage.

The club will also face the winners of the Champions League, either Liverpool or Real Madrid, in the European Supercup on the 10th of August.

Frankfurt have made over 21 million euros from their unbeaten run in the Europa League and participation in the lucrative Champions League will provide the club with a further cash injection. But Markus Krösche, sporting director of Eintracht Frankfurt, has said the club will not alter its transfer strategy.

This was emphasised by club president Peter Fischer, who described the Europa League triumph was the greatest moment in the history of the club: “We aren’t suddenly go on a spending spree just because we have qualified for the Champions League.” Though he added that offering Champions League football to prospective signings will facilitate player acquisition: “It is a bit easier to buy players when you can say you don’t know if you will be playing against Liverpool or Real Madrid, but perhaps you would like to be involved. It sounds a lot better than Greuther Fürth.”

Eintracht Frankfurt trainer Oliver Glasner became the first Austrian coach to win a major European trophy since Ernst Happel won the European Cup with Hamburg in 1983. In an interview with Sky Sport Austria, he said: “I’m proud of our team! They have always believed in themselves, always supported each other and now we all have this great reward.”

Frankfurt captain Sebastian Rode, who sustained a head injury after just five minutes, but stayed on the field until extra-time, said: “It’s a dream to win a trophy with Eintracht Frankfurt. It will take a few years to realise the magnitude of this.”

Trapp’s penalty shoot-out preparation

Kevin Trapp had already proved his worth when he denied Ryan Kent in the final minutes of extra time and his penalty save paved the way for Frankfurt’s victory. Trapp explained that he was well-prepared for the penalty shoot-out thanks to goalkeeper trainer Jan Zimmermann. He had supplied the keeper with a list of potential penalty takers and where they were likely to shoot, which Trapp taped to his water bottle. The Frankfurt keeper often guessed correctly, but the penalties were all well-placed, until Aaron Ramsey stepped up: “I knew through the preparation that Ramsey always waits quite a while before he decides where to shoot.”

Ranger’s captain James Tavernier was inconsolable as he spoke to BT Sport: “I’m devastated. I’m proud of every single one of the lads, the club and the fans. We wanted to make everyone proud, but we didn’t get over the line. To lose on penalties it hurts. We went toe-to-toe with them. It gives us fuel to push us on, we want to be back in these finals and we have a massive game on Saturday.“

In Germany, 50,000 Frankfurt fans attended a public viewing event to watch the game on a big screen at the club’s stadium, the Deutsche Bank Park.