Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Rangers 5–4 in a clinical penalty shootout to win the Europa League final as they claimed their first European trophy in 42 years.
Eintracht keeper Kevin Trapp scored a spot kick from Aaron Ramsey – saving Rangers fourth – while Eintracht was flawless in his execution, scoring all five after 120 minutes after the game ended 1-1.
IPL 2022- full coverage , Schedule , result , orange cap , purple cap , Mark sheet
Joe Aribo struck against the run-of-play to give Rangers the lead in the 57th minute, charged clear after a string of defensive errors and slid the ball near the trap.
The German, unbeaten in the competition going into the final and eyeing his first European title since 1980, Rafael Borey bounced back between the two defenders to convert in a Philipp Kostik cross in the 70th.
“We played 13 matches in Europe and we didn’t lose a single match,” said Eintracht coach Oliver Glasner.
“We took it step by step and in the end we were rewarded. I have no words to express what I feel for the players,” said the Austrian, whose side will now compete in next season’s Champions League despite finishing 11th in the Bundesliga.
Frankfurt is the first Bundesliga team to win the Europa League, or its predecessor UEFA Cup, since 1997, when Schalke beat Inter Milan on penalties.
great savings
Rangers ended extra time on a strong side, but two brilliant defenses of the man of the match trap ensured that the game went to a shootout where the Germans’ superb technique and mental strength won.
In the past few days, there was a great atmosphere inside the Sanchez Pizzajuan Stadium with a plethora of Rangers and Eintracht supporters in southern Spain’s largest city.
Roared by his raucous fans, Eintrach started off aggressively, giving Rangers an early scare.
Eintracht’s Japanese winger Daiichi Kamada made his way deep into the penalty area, but Rangers keeper Alan McGregor came down to thwart him and was able to tackle Jibril So’s effort with a loose ball.
McGregor was soon back in action, doing well to widen an Ansgar Knauff effort as the Germans better enjoyed the early exchanges.
Rangers struggled to gain a foothold in the game, but gave a warning when Aribo was given room to turn on the edge of the box and his shot went just wide of the far post.
The Frankfurt keeper trap was then brought on to palm on a John Lundström header as the Scottish side finished the half more confidently.
Rangers got off to a great start after the break and could have taken the lead when James Tavernier led a sharp break to the right and the ball fell on Ryan Kent in the back of the box but his hasty shot was cut well.
Minutes later however the Glasgow side took the advantage – Brazil defender Tuta slipped as he tried to reach a poor header from So, leaving Areibo to cross and confidently slipped the ball past the trap .
Frankfurt responded quickly and Kamada should have done better when he ran on a blow from above Sebastian Rode but picked up the ball over the bar.
Quick response
Jesper Lindström had a chance to score but his powerful shot was stopped by Calvin Bassi almost at the goal line.
Leveller came on when the dangerous Caustic was allowed to fire in a low cross from the left and the Colombian sack reacted fastest, sneaking in front of Calvin Bassi to drive the ball home.
Rangers recovered from the blow and both sides tried to win the game within 90 minutes, but neither side could stop the encounter from entering extra time.
There was little between the two tired teams in the opening round, but after the change, Borna Barisic made a long-range attempt on the straight trap and then Ajdin Hustik drilled a shot wide for Eintracht.
It was Rangers who came closest to winning the competition, however, in the final minutes when substitute Kemar Roof bowled Kent a ball into the box, whose low shot was brilliantly blocked by a trap.
The keeper was again cautious to exclude a free kick from Tavernier to ensure that the final went to penalties, where the quality of the spot-kick was excellent.
Only one player flung his line as Ramsey’s soft effort was saved by a trap after he found the net in the first six shots.
It came to the sacks to settle the competition and the Colombian, like all his teammates, remained calm in the stadium for the thousands of Germans to celebrate.
read all Breaking News , today’s fresh news And IPL 2022 Live Updates Here.