The Eagles dominated Barca at Camp Nou as they secured a place in the Europa League semi-finals.
Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Barcelona 3-2 in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie on Thursday. A 4-3 win on aggregate sent the German side to the next round, while the Catalans saw their Europa League journey coming to an abrupt end.
Kostic steals the show at Camp Nou!
Eintracht started the game by shocking Barcelona with their early attacks. Following a few missed chances, they got exactly what they wanted only four minutes into the game.
A foul from Eric Garcia resulted in a penalty for the guests, with Filip Kostic then making it 1-0 for Eintracht. Barca tried to get a quick equalizer, but they struggled to find opportunities behind the Eagles’ backline.
The Catalans were still busy finding their feet in the game when a wonderful strike from Rafael Santos Borre doubled Frankfurt’s lead. An unstoppable banger from the Colombian found its way behind Ter-Stegen’s arms as Barca suffered another shock before the interval.
The Catalans showed signs of improvement after the second half started, but their opponents’ dangerous counter-attacks kept them at bay. Kostic completed his brilliant performance by scoring his side’s third goal with a precise low shot from the corner of the box.
Barcelona went all-in with their attacks after Eintracht’s third goal, but they scored their first goal too late. Sergio Busquets smashed a beautiful shot into the bottom left corner of the net as he revived Barca’s hopes of a late comeback in the 90th minute.
During the nine-minute long added time, Barca continued their uphill battle to get back into the game. Memphis Depay scored a last-minute penalty to make it 3-2 for the Catalans, but it was already too late to push for a comeback.
What’s next for Barcelona and Frankfurt?
Eintracht will face West Ham in the semi-finals after eliminating Barca from the tournament. Earlier tonight, the Hammers smashed Lyon 3-0 to seal their place in the next round.
On the other hand, Barcelona will return to La Liga, where they are competing in a tight top-four race. The Catalans will meet Cadiz in their next game on Monday.
Player Ratings
Barcelona: Ter Stegen (6), Araujo (6), Busquets (7), Dembele (7), Pedri (5), Alba (6), Torres (6), Mingueza (5), Garcia (4), Aubameyang (5), Gavi (5).
Bench: Dest (5), Traore (7), F. De Jong (6), Depay (7), L. De Jong (7).
Eintracht Frankfurt: Trapp (6), Knauff (8), Toure (7), Hinteregger (6), N’Dicka (6), Kostic (9), Jackic (6), Rode (6), Lindstrøm (7), Kamada (8), Borre (8).
Bench: Chandler (6), Hrustic (5), Hauge (5), Ache (6), Hasebe (6).
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