Barcelona vs Frankfurt: Barcelona crushed by Frankfurt in Europa League
Barcelona was crushed in a Europa League loss at the Camp Nou against mid-table Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.
Frankfurt, who is currently in the ninth position in La Liga, ripped the Catalan giants to bits in a highly stunning display to advance to the semi-finals. After a magnificent long-range shot from Rafael Santos Borre, Filip Kostic scored twice for the visitors.
Full Time #BarçaEintracht pic.twitter.com/ruNeYgbO8K
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 14, 2022
Barcelona vs Frankfurt Europa League Highlights
Santos Borre easily increased Frankfurt’s lead with a goal-of-the-tournament candidate after Eric Garcia brought Jesper Lindstroem to the ground in the fourth minute. After the German side wasted many chances, Kostic gave Frankfurt the lead from the penalty spot in the fourth minute. With a stunning left-footed strike into the corner midway through the second half, Kostic scored a third, and after Frankfurt wasted additional chances, Barca tried a late charge.
In the 84th minute, Sergio Busquets had a goal disallowed for offside, but as the game entered injury time, the midfielder produced a scorching strike to set up a thrilling injury-time finish. Memphis Depay converted a penalty in the 11th minute of extra time to cut the score to 2-3, while defender Evan N’Dicka was sent off for a second yellow card, but Frankfurt held on for a worthy victory.
💥💥💥 GOAL BARÇA! 💥💥💥@5SERGIOB GETS ONE BACK! 1-3 (2-4 agg)#BARÇAEINTRACHT pic.twitter.com/c1TR5X5VSY
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 14, 2022
The dominance was evident both on and off the field. With Gerard Pique out of the starting lineup, Barcelona needed Eric Garcia to step up, but he failed his first test, fighting Jesper Lindstrom down in the area and conceding a penalty after two minutes. Filip Kostic took a step forward and struck Marc Andre ter Stegen the wrong way.
A wake-up call for Barca
Xavi has led Barcelona to second position in La Liga without losing a match since December 3rd, after managing the team in mid-table. They were favored to win the Europa League after tumbling out of the Champions League, but the reality has been rather different.
The two-leg match against Frankfurt, who are now in the ninth position in the Bundesliga, served as a wake-up call. Barca were dominated in both legs. They were quite fortunate to draw 1-1 in Germany and were completely outplayed at home. This demonstrates that Barca remains a long way behind Europe’s premier clubs, and while things are improving under Xavi, there is still a long way to go.
Oliver Glasner and his players were thrilled with the performance on the pitch and in the stands on a memorable night at the Camp Nou. 🎙🗣#FCBSGE #SGEuropa #UEL
— Eintracht Frankfurt (@eintracht_eng) April 15, 2022
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