In a warm atmosphere in Seville, Eintracht Frankfurt won at the end of the suspense against Glasgow Rangers (1-1, 5 shots on goal to 4) in the Europa League final. Led in the score, the German club relied on Santos Borré then Kevin Trapp during the penalty shootout to win the second C3 in its history.
120 minutes of tension, of combat, of beautiful actions too. And a stressful penalty shootout to designate a single winner. This Wednesday, May 18 at the Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium, it was Eintracht Frankfurt who proved to be the most enduring to win this Europa League final against Glasgow Rangers (1-1, 5 shots on goal to 4).
Held in check at the end of the regulation 90 minutes, Oliver Glasner’s men drew on their reserves to seek this title at the end of the penalty shootout, thanks in particular to a decisive save by Kevin Trapp in front of Aaron Ramsey. The German club thus raises the second C3 in its history, after that raised in 1980 against Mönchengladbach, and will compete in the next Champions League.
Aribo, the first to strike
It didn’t take long to take the pulse of this 51st C3 final between Rangers and Frankfurt. Barely five minutes were enough, until the big clash between John Lundstram and Sebastian Rode. On a high foot, the first came to strike the skull of the captain of Eintracht, forcing him to seek treatment, lying on his back, in order to stop the bleeding. A first proof of the intensity that the two teams sought to put in Seville.
Then the Rangers block retreated and, for 20 minutes, veteran Allan McGregor saw German attempts by Kamada (12th), Knauff (20th) or Kostic (33rd) multiply. But paradoxically, if this first act leaned towards Oliver Glasner’s men in terms of chances (11 shots to three), the most dangerous actions were those of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s players. Joe Aribo narrowly missed the target with a shot at the entrance to the opposing box (25th) then, 10 minutes later, Ryan Kent’s header was turned away from the end of the gloves by Kevin Trapp (35th).
Back to back at the break, the 22 actors returned with the intention of fighting it out. Especially the Frankfurt players. Carried by all their supporters at Sanchez-Pizjuan, fully dressed in white, they thought they opened the scoring with a pivot shot from Jesper Lindström but this, narrowly deflected by a Rangers defender, passed a few centimeters from the post (48th). Then on a seemingly innocuous ball, the match changed: Djibril Sow made a mistake on his head back and the ball rocketed to Aribo, who came to deceive Trapp from the left (1-0, 57th). His first goal of the competition, at the best of times for Rangers.
Santos Borré and Trapp offer the C3 to Frankfurt
But in line with their excellent performances throughout this C3, Frankfurt started again. After a big alert on a lobed ball from Kamada which fell above the nets of McGregor (67th), the Germans found the target two minutes later. On a low cross from the left signed Kostic, the Colombian Rafael Santos Borré was quicker than the two Rangers defenders to come and place the tip of the decisive foot (1-1, 69th).
From then on, the duels again gained in intensity, going hand in hand with an increasing number of faults. In injury time, Kostic’s cross shot close to McGregor’s post sent a shiver down the spines of Rangers supporters. 90 minutes not being enough to decide between the two teams, the extension was to allow to give the verdict of this final. But neither Borna Barisic (105th), nor Ajdin Hrustic (108th), nor Ryan Kent (113th), nor Kristijan Jakic (114th) managed to shake the opposing nets. Not to mention the former PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, monstrous on his line in the money time ahead of Kent (118th).
From then on, only the penalty shootout was able to choose its winner. And this one chose the German club. By stopping Aaron Ramsey’s attempt, Kevin Trapp propelled his team into a favorable position, before Rafael Santos Borré came to conclude with composure. Eintracht Frankfurt end this Europa League campaign unbeaten and become the third team to win the competition unbeaten after Chelsea in 2018-2019 and Villarreal in 2020-2021.
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