After a season that was not very successful nationally, the German Bundesliga team under coach Oliver Glasner crowned their run in the Europa League with a final victory over Glasgow Rangers. In the final in Seville, Eintracht won 5-4 on penalties. It was 1-1 after 120 minutes.Seville. Joe Aribo gave Rangers the lead in the Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan in the 57th minute after a blunder by Eintracht, Rafael Borre (69th) scored the deserved equalizer less than fifteen minutes later. In a game that was also exhausting because of the Andalusian heat, extra time didn’t bring a winner. Rangers started in the penalty decision. After six successful shooters, substitute Aaron Ramsey failed to Kevin Trapp. As the fifth man of Eintracht Borre used for the decision.
Glasner was the first Austrian coach to win a European Cup final after Ernst Happel in 1983 with HSV. The injured Martin Hinteregger cheered along, and Stefan Ilsanker, who made two short appearances in the group phase but was not named internationally in the spring, was also happy. In terms of mood, the game kept what it had promised.
In the hours leading up to kick-off, Sevilla were clad in white and blue. More than 70,000 Scots are said to be making their way to Andalusia, around 50,000 from Germany had announced their arrival. Officially, both clubs had only received 10,000 tickets. In the stadium, the blue-robed Rangers supporters apparently had the upper hand.
Glasner was the sixth coach, the first since Ernst Dokupil in 1996 with Rapid (Cup of Cup Winners), who was in a European Cup final with a red-white-red pass. The 47-year-old had a compatriot at his side for moral support. Hinteregger traveled with the team and took a seat on the bench. The defender was “the most nervous of all,” reported Glasner before the game. The coach himself tried to radiate calm to the outside world.
His opponent Giovanni van Bronckhorst relied on his recipe for success. The same team that eliminated RB Leipzig in the semi-finals started in Seville. With Borussia Dortmund, the Rangers had already eliminated another Bundesliga team.
Blood flowed after only a few minutes. Sebastian Rode was hit in the forehead with his foot by John Lundstram, the Eintracht captain played on after minutes of being treated with a turban. At temperatures of over 30 degrees, his eleven launched speed counterattacks that almost led to success. Daichi Kamada and Ansgar Knauff, whose degree was parried by the 40-year-old Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor to a corner (20th), found the first chances.
Rangers responded with center forward Aribo, who put the ball just wide of the goal from long range (26′). Scotland’s record champions – runners-up behind Celtic this season – had more of the game, but the more dangerous scenes in the first half came before McGregor. Eintracht’s left winger Filip Kostic shot past the long corner after an attack (32′). In a game characterized by caution, the break went goalless.
Frankfurt got off to a better start in the second 45 minutes. A deflected shot by Jesper Lindström, who had regained his fitness, went wide of the post (49′). Borre fell in the penalty area after a contact from Connor Goldson, but the VAR did not give Eintracht a penalty (52nd).
A double faux pas by the opponent gave the Rangers the lead. Djibril Sow involuntarily headed into Aribo’s run, whose surprised opponent Tutu slipped away in the sprint. The Nigerian had a clear path to his first goal of the current competition and took advantage of it. The game was over for Tutu, the defender was injured in the action.
Eintracht wanted to counter immediately. When Lindström blocked a shot less than two minutes later, the Hessians complained about a handball in the penalty area. However, Calvin Bassey was only hit in the torso. After a mistake in the Scots’ play structure, Kamada appeared in front of McGregor and lobbed the ball over the bar (67′). Borre finally let Glasner, who was gesticulating almost continuously on the sidelines, clench his fist. The Colombian was there after a Kostic cross with his toe to make it 1-1.
The heat bothered the teams more and more. In an intensive comparison with small advantages for Frankfurt on both sides, there was no longer a compelling chance. It went into overtime. There, Bassey opened the way to the goal with a slip by Borre, but the Rangers defender saved himself. Signs of wear and tear were clearly noticeable on both sides. The Blues still had a huge chance, Frankfurt’s Kevin Trapp made a sensational save in the 118th minute with a foot defense against Ryan Kent. The decision from the penalty point had to come.
Eintracht Frankfurt – Glasgow Rangers final score 1:1 (0:0,1:1) aet, 5:4 pts
Seville, Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, 43,000, SR Vincic/SLO
Goals: 0: 1 (57th) Aribo, 1: 1 (69th) Borre
Penalties shoot:
- 0-1 – Tavernier scores
- 1:1 – Lenz scores
- 1-2 – Davis scores
- 2-2 – Hrustic scores
- 2-3 – Arfield scores
- 3-3 – Kamada scores
- 3: 3 – Ramsey fails at Trapp
- 4: 3 – Kostic scores
- 4: 4 – Roofe scores
- 5: 4 – Borre scores
unity: Trapp – Toure, Tuta (59 Hasebe), N’Dicka (100 Lenz) – Knauff, Rode (90 Jakic), Sow (106 Hrustic), Kostic – Lindstrom (70 Hauge), Kamada – Borre
Rangers: McGregor – Tavernier, Goldson, Bassey, Barisic (117th Roofe) – Lundstram, Jack (74th Davis) – Wright (74th Sakala/117th Ramsey), Kamara (91st Arfield), Kent – Aribo (101st Sands)
Yellow cards: None or Aribo, Wright
Source: Nachrichten
