UEL QF Roundup: Barcelona floored by rampant Frankfurt as semis cast set
The semifinal cast of the UEFA Europa League is now complete, after the second leg of the quarterfinal ties were already settled last April 15.
La Liga eliminated as Barcelona falls
With the final to be held in Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on May 19, there will be no La Liga side left in the competition after FC Barcelona was thwarted by a rampant Eintracht Frankfurt, who stormed into a 3-2 win at the Nou Camp for a 4-3 aggregate.
A brace by Filip Kostic (4’ pen., 67’), sandwiched by a 36th-minute rocket by Rafael Borre, put the Bundesliga side back in the last four after a three-year wait after it withstood the late strikes by Sergio Busquets and a Memphis Depay penalty in stoppage time.
Frankfurt will face Premier League outfit West Ham United, who came through after an away shutout over Ligue 1’s Lyon for a 3-0 win (4-1 on aggregate). It will be a rematch of their semifinal tie 46 years ago in the old Cup Winners’ Cup, where the Hammers ran out 4-3 winners.
Rangers, Leipzig contest other semis ties
The other semifinal pits Scotland’s Rangers against another Bundesliga club in RB Leipzig, with the former being the lone team to win at home, as they need extra time to repulse Portugal’s Braga 3-1 and clinched the tie 3-2 on aggregate.
Leipzig meanwhile, leaned on Christopher Nkunku’s brace to score a 2-0 win at Atalanta that broke their 1-1 stalemate in the first leg.
