Martin Hinteregger and Co. enjoyed the cheering of the fans for minutes after the 1-1 draw in the first leg of the quarter-finals on Thursday. The result gives Frankfurt hope for a surprise in the return game at Camp Nou next week. Coach Oliver Glasner said: “We will go to Barcelona with the conviction that we can win there.”
After a game in which his team had the prominent opponent “on the verge of defeat” (Glasner), the Upper Austrian didn’t want to raise too many hopes. Glasner emphasized that one should not be dissatisfied with the opportunities given to win. “Today trouble, then you lose the ground under your feet. It’s important to always remain humble,” said the Eintracht coach, who saw his tactical guidelines implemented almost perfectly in front of 48,000 spectators.
Goalkeeper Kevin Trapp saw an “outstanding game” by the team, but wasn’t just happy after the final whistle. “In the end it’s a bit crazy because we left the pitch with a 1-1 draw against Barcelona and felt we could have done better,” said the Germany international goalkeeper. You have “created a position in which everything is possible”.
Xavi didn’t see the Catalans in the best shape. “It wasn’t a good game, but it was a good result. We can be happy,” said the Barcelona coach. Eintracht’s 1-0 lead by Ansgar Knauff (48′) woke up the guests, Ferran Torres (66′) equalised. After yellow-red for Frankfurt’s Tuta (78th), Barcelona no longer played with the last emphasis. Xavi complained about the condition of the lawn. As a result, his eleven were not able to show off their qualities so well.
“It will be different at the Camp Nou,” said Xavi. Barcelona are clearly counting on the home game, which will be played next Thursday in front of 90,000 spectators. In the wide oval, the Eintracht fans also want to get involved. Officially, the Hessians are only entitled to a contingent of around 5,000 tickets, but 35,000 are said to want to go to Barcelona.
After the 1-1 draw against Atalanta Bergamo, Leipzig is also placing its hopes on the away game. “We can certainly do a few things better in the second leg,” said Konrad Laimer after a draw in which both teams had their chances. “I think we should have scored one or two more goals – but could have conceded one or two more,” Laimer analyzed the performance against the Lombards. Luis Muriel (17th) put Bergamo in the lead early on, an own goal by Davide Zappacosta (58th) gave Leipzig the equalizer after an increase in performance after a change of sides.
Source: Nachrichten
