The footballing general public saw Barcelona already winning the Europa League after that thrashing of Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu a couple of weeks ago. However, Eintracht Frankfurt had different plans.After a whirlwind 3-2 second-leg victory (4-3 on aggregate) over Barcelona, Eintracht secured their passage to the Europa League semi-finals. The Eagles eliminate the Catalan giants in their first-ever competitive contest at Camp Nou.FRANKFURT KNOCK OUT BARCELONA! 🦅🫢 pic.twitter.com/Vk706YVzgj— 433 (@433) April 14, 2022 Although Frankfurt’s record of having not won in their last five domestic clashes contrasted with the Blaugrana’s 15-match unbeaten run across all competitions – Frankfurt’s Europa League form was much better as they did not lose in the competition this term. Massive support for the German side pushed the team towards their dream of recreating the club’s famous 1979/80 UEFA Cup-winning run.The away side stormed the tie on a pleasant evening in Catalonia thus continuing their remarkable record of having never lost to a Spanish club in a two-legged affair.In the opening minutes, Frankfurt’s spirits were high and it was obvious they wanted to leave their profligate demons of the first leg behind. And the early pressure paid instant dividends – Eric García’s clumsy challenge saw referee Artur Soares Dias award a penalty within four minutes, the fourth the Catalans conceded in their last two games.Serbian Filip Kostić stepped up and made no mistake from the spot which sent thousands of traveling fans to extasy.And though the visitors’ defence remained composed, Barcelona’s response was strong in the form of a warning shot when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sent the ball just over the crossbar.However, Camp Nou saw another shock. The home crowd were stunned into silence when Rafael Santos Borré smashed a quite remarkable effort into the roof of the net from quite a distance. Further chances arrived for a rampant Frankfurt side as the hosts were visibly shaken. Fully deserved lead for Frankfurt at halftime.Barcelona came out looking like a team who had received the hairdryer treatment. Pedri was pulled off at the break by an unimpressed Xavi and Aubameyang tried to bring his teammates back to life shortly after the restart – Ousmane Dembélé’s wicked cross across the box was excellent but the Gabonese was not clinical enough.Aubameyang saw another opportunity go begging soon after but Kevin Trapp smothered his effort when the forward looked destined to score.The German side responded via Jesper Lindstrøm seconds later. His exquisite touch saw him sprint into space inside the hosts’ box before his sweetly-struck effort was stopped by Marc-André ter Stegen.However, Barcelona’s custodian was helpless soon after – Frankfurt struck the killer blow through Kostić’s precise finish.Barcelona finally woke up after hearing the boos coming from the stands but it was too late. Sergio Busquets’ rifled finish and a Memphis Depay penalty in the ninth minute of injury-time made it a nervy finish for Frankfurt but, ultimately, Barcelona were simply outclassed. It was an incredible away performance from the Eagles, who will meet West Ham in the semi-finals of the competition.UEFA EUROPA LEAGUEQuarter-final, second legThursdayAtalanta – RB Leipzig 0-2 (0-1) /first leg 1-1//Nkunku 18, 87 pen/Barcelona – Eintr.Frankfurt 2-3 (0-2) /first leg 1-1//Busquets 90+1, Depay 90+10 – Kostic 4 pen, 68, Borre 36/Olympique Lyon – West Ham 0-3 (0-1) /first leg 1-1//Dawson 38, Rice 44, Bowen 48/Rangers – Braga 3-1 (2-0) AOT /first leg 0-1//Tavernier 2, 43 pen, Roofe 101 – Carmo 83/***odds are subject to change
