|
Eintracht keeper Kevin Trapp saved Aaron Ramsey's spot kick --
Rangers' fourth -- while Eintracht were flawless in their
execution, scoring all five after the game had finished 1-1
after 120 minutes.
Joe Aribo had struck against the run of play in the 57th minute
to give Rangers the lead, charging clear after a string of
defensive errors and sliding the ball past Trapp.
The Germans, unbeaten in the competition going into the final
and eyeing their first European title since 1980, bounced back
as Rafael Borre snuck in between two defenders to turn in a
Filip Kostic cross in the 70th.
"We played 13 matches in Europe and we did not lose a single
one," said Eintracht coach Oliver Glasner.
"We took it step-by-step and at the end we were rewarded. I have
no words to express what I feel for the players," added the
Austrian, whose side will now compete in next season's Champions
League despite finishing in 11th place in the Bundesliga.
Frankfurt are the first Bundesliga team to win the Europa
League, or its predecessor the UEFA Cup, since 1997, when
Schalke beat Inter Milan on penalties.
BRILLIANT SAVES
Rangers had ended extra time the stronger side, but two
brilliant saves from man-of-the-match Trapp ensured the game
went to the shootout where the superb technique and mental
strength of the Germans won it.
There was a sizzling atmosphere inside the Sanchez Pizjuan
stadium with Rangers and Eintracht supporters having piled into
southern Spain's largest city over the past few days.
Roared on by their raucous fans, Eintracht started aggressively,
giving Rangers an early scare.
Eintracht's Japanese winger Daichi Kamada weaved his way deep
into the penalty area, but Rangers keeper Allan McGregor got
down to foil him and was able to recover to deal with Djibril
Sow's effort from the loose ball.
McGregor was soon back in action, doing well to tip an Ansgar
Knauff effort wide as the Germans enjoyed the better of the
early exchanges.
Rangers were struggling to get a foothold in the game, but fired
a warning when Aribo was given space to turn on the edge of the
box and his shot curled just wide of the far post.
Frankfurt keeper Trapp was then brought into action to palm over
a John Lundstram header as the Scottish side ended the half
looking more confident.
Rangers started brightly after the break and could have taken
the lead when James Tavernier led a swift break down the right
and the ball fell to Ryan Kent at the back of the box but his
hurried shot was sliced well wide.
Minutes later though the Glasgow side grabbed the advantage --
Brazilian defender Tuta slipped as he tried to reach a poor
header back from Sow, leaving Aribo to go through and
confidently slip the ball past Trapp.
Frankfurt responded with urgency and Kamada should have done
better when he ran onto a flick over the top from Sebastian Rode
but lifted the ball over the bar.
QUICK REACTION
Jesper Lindstrom had a chance to score but his powerful shot was
bravely blocked by Calvin Bassey almost on the goalline.
The leveller came when the dangerous Kostic was allowed to fire
in a low cross from the left and Colombian Borre reacted
quickest, sneaking in front of Calvin Bassey to steer the ball
home.
Rangers recovered from the blow and both sides sought to win the
game inside the 90 minutes but neither could stop the encounter
from entering extra time.
There was little between the two exhausted teams in the opening
period but after the change around, Borna Barisic fired a
long-range effort straight at Trapp and then Ajdin Hrustic
drilled a shot just wide for Eintracht.
It was Rangers who went closest to winning the contest though,
in the final minutes, when substitute Kemar Roofe flashed a ball
across the box to Kent whose low shot was superbly blocked by
Trapp.
The keeper was alert again to keep out a free kick from
Tavernier to ensure the final went to penalties, where the
quality of the spot-kicks was outstanding.
Just one player fluffed his lines as Ramsey's soft effort was
saved by Trapp after the first six shots had all found the net.
It came down to Borre to settle the contest and the Colombian,
like all his team mates, kept his cool to set off the
celebrations for the thousands of Germans in the stadium.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Pritha Sarkar and
Toby Davis)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
