UEFA Europa Report: FC Barcelona snatch vital draw at ten-man Frankfurt
FC Barcelona has everything to play for in the Europa League quarterfinal, after bucking an early second-half deficit to earn a 1-1 draw over German side Eintracht Frankfurt last April 8.
UEFA Europa League QF 1st Leg Recap: FC Barcelona
It was one of the three 1-1 draws that happened in the first leg of the last eight (alongside the ties of RB Leipzig v Atalanta and West Ham v Lyon), with the lone exemption being a 1-0 home win of Portugal’s Braga over Scottish outfit Rangers.
Xavi’s men are the lone La Liga club left in the competition on the road to the final in Sevilla, as they faced the club that eliminated Real Betis in the last sixteen.
With the cavernous Waldstadion, Oliver Glasner’s men had more shots than the visiting Catalans despite having less ball possession.
Their direct approach bore fruit three minutes after the restart when Ansgar Knauff launched a right-footed rocket past Marc Andre Ter Stegen to give Frankfurt a deserved lead.
However, Ferran Torres equalized for Barcelona in the 66th minute when he completed his link-up with Frenkie De Jong by firing a low shot into the bottom-left corner.
Eintracht was reduced to ten men following Tuta’s second yellow card in the 78th but kept their cool to preserve the draw ahead of the return leg in Camp Nou.
