(Football news) Eintracht Frankfurt beat Rangers 5-4 on penalties in the Europa League final in Seville to win their second Europa League title in the clubs history and claim their first European trophy in 42 years. Eintracht keeper Kevin Trapp saved Aaron Ramsey's spot kick which was Rangers' fourth decisive penalty, while Eintracht players were flawless in their execution by scoring all five spot kicks. The game had finished 1-1 after 120 minutes of regular and extra time as both sides gave it all on the pitch in front of a packed stadium. The result also meant that Eintracht Frankfurt returned to the Champions League for the first time since 1960, that year they reached the final and lost to Real Madrid in their only participation in Europe's most elite competition. The 62-year wait to return to Europe's most elite competition is the longest by any team in the competition's history.
Joe Aribo had given Rangers the lead against the run of play in the 57th minute, charging clear after a string of defensive errors from the Frankfurt defence before he coolly slid the ball past Trapp. The Germans bounced back in emphatic fashion as Columbian forward Rafael Borre snuck in between two defenders to turn in a pin point cross from Filip Kostic in the goal in the 70th minute. Eintracht went unbeaten in the Europa League but they struggled in the Bundesliga where they finished 11th. Rangers ended extra time as the more stronger and fitter side, late in the extra time a brilliant save from Trapp ensured the game went to a penalty shootout .
In intense match where the stadium was packed with Scots and Germans, Rangers received an early scare, when Eintracht's Japanese winger Daichi Kamada wriggled his way deep into the penalty area but couldn’t generate a powerful shot to beat Rangers keeper Allan McGregor who got down to clear the ball away and was able to recover well and deal with Djibril Sow's effort from the loose ball. McGregor was again called upon to action when he did well to tip an Ansgar Knauff effort wide as the Germans were far better in the first half of the game, enjoying the better of the early exchanges as Rangers were struggling to get a foothold in the game.
Rangers started the second half very brightly as they could have taken the lead when James Tavernier led a swift counter attack from the right flank before he fed the ball to Ryan Kent who sliced his shot well wide. Minutes later the Glasgow side took full advantage and got their reward for a quick start as they took the lead when Brazilian defender Tuta slipped when he tried to reach a poor header back from Sow, which left Aribo to go through and confidently finish past Trapp. Frankfurt, urged by their fans, quickly responded as Kamada should have scored after Rode found him beautifully. The equaliser came when Kostic fired in a low cross from the left and Colombia international Borre reacted quickest to steer the ball home. The match ended 1-1 as both sides couldn’t make clear cut opportunities during the regular time.
It was Rangers who went closest to winning the contest in the final minutes of extra time, when substitute Kemar Roofe flashed a ball across the box to Kent whose shot was brilliantly blocked by Trapp. He was alert again to keep out a free kick from Tavernier to ensure the match went to penalties.The quality of the spot kicks from both the teams were outstanding with just Ramsey's effort saved by Trapp after the first six shots had all found the back of the net. It came down to the final penalty when Borre settled the contest, and sent their fans into ecstasy. More than 150,000 fans came to Seville as most of them were without tickets for the final at the 43,000-capacity Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
"We remained positive and it was only with that spirit that this was possible," Glasner added.
For Eintracht captain Sebastian Rode, it was a deserved finale at the end of a rocky ride."It was a very tough road and there was so much at stake for us tonightIt is amazing what we did with this team and we deserved it. It was a great journey and we were rewarded."
“We played 13 matches in Europe and we did not lose a single one," said Eintracht coach Oliver Glasner. "We took it step-by-step and at the end we were rewarded. I have no words to express what I feel for the players. It was the last game of the season, an intense one and everyone squeezed all they had out of them. A great compliment to the players."
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