Eintracht Frankfurt posted an entertaining 1-1 draw at home to Barcelona in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday night.
Xavi might as well have been looking into a crystal ball when he made a prescient assessment of Frankfurt’s threat: “They are well organised, they are physically very strong and they are good in transition.”
Facing its first crowd since the pandemic, Frankfurt channeled the suffocating cacophony into a dizzying start. Flying forward after each turnover, the Bundesliga’s ninth-placed left their lavender-clad visitors in molasses.
Barcelona did not take long to gain a foothold in the tie by establishing a monopoly on the ball. Slowing down breathlessly, however, the Catalans had to settle for a barren possession in the face of a blocking Frankfurt eager to run forward.
Filip Kostic led one of those quick breaks in the last ten minutes of the first half, firing a low ball that Marc-Andre ter Stegen spilled at the feet of Rafael Borre. Sergio Busquets was initially considered to have conceded a penalty, but a quick VAR review recognized that the Barcelona captain came at the ball with his big toe.
Borussia Dortmund loanee Ansgar Knauff finally gave Frankfurt the lead it wholeheartedly deserved three minutes after the break. Controlling a clearance from a Frankfurt corner on the edge of the box, Knauff leaped into the air to nail his volley into Ter Stegen’s top corner.
Jesper Lindstrom came close to doubling Frankfurt’s lead in a matter of seconds, but Barcelona began to slip into the competition after an hour when Frankfurt, unwittingly or not, sank further.
The presentation of Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie de Jong did nothing but encourage Xavi’s vocation as a clairvoyant. The pair combined to put Ferran Torres up for a 66th-minute equalizer rolled into the bottom corner on the culmination of a crisp passing move.
Frankfurt was down to ten men in the final 12 minutes after centre-back Tuta earned an indisputable second yellow card for stepping on Pedri.
Barcelona were unable to capitalize on their numerical advantage as Frankfurt held out for a draw that was the least their performance deserved, setting up a thrilling second leg in Catalonia next week beautifully balanced at 1-1.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen (GK) – 4/10 – Rescued by his employer and the VAR for an overflow at the feet of the Frankfurt striker, but defenseless against Knauff’s first goal.
Ronald Araújo (RB) – 5/10 – He had the physical qualities for which he is so often praised, severely tested in a game full of transitions that sent him into his own goal.
Gerard Pique (CB) – N/A – Forced out after just 23 minutes after a jarring slip.
Eric Garcia (CB) – 5/10 – He was hardly the only one who seemed unsettled as the black jerseys lunged forward, but they did offer a touch of push with the ball at their feet.
Jordi Alba (LB) – 4/10 – Hasty and heavy with his pass in the sporadic spells he was able to pull off.
Peter (CM) – 5/10 – He had his involvement and influence limited as he found few opportunities at significant positions for much of the game before tentatively growing up in the competition.
Sergio Busquets (CM) – 3/10 – He desperately struggled to offer penetration with his passes and did his best to stay out of the way when the game turned into an exchange of transitions.
Gavi (CM) – 5/10 – Making his tenth appearance in UEFA competition, four months shy of his 18th birthday, Gavi leapt into furious action with glee, but was substituted just as he was playing his best football.
Adama Traore (RW) – 5/10 – It was quickly established that he had the beating of Evan N’Dicka but lacked precision with his delivery after dancing past his opponent.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ST) – 4/10 – Bordering the fringes of contention, the striker launched a rare effort from a tight angle straight at Kevin Trapp.
Ferran Torres (LW) – 6/10 – Fluttering in and out of the game, Torres provided a clinical finish on a night when much of the space he likes to dive into shrank.
Clemente Lenglet (CB) – 4/10 – It didn’t offer much in the way of disrupting the Frankfurt surge.
Frenkie de Jong (CM) – 7/10 – A magnificent one-two exchange with Torres opened a rift in the Frankfurt rear.
Ousmane Dembele (RW) – 7/10 – He provided a standard of accuracy and precision with his creativity that was missing in the performance of the man he replaced, Traore.