It was a great opportunity for both teams to win the first cup in Europe in decades. Rangers FC in 1972 reached for the now defunct, but then extremely prestigious Cup Winners’ Cup. however, it can boast of winning the UEFA Cup, and thus the predecessor of the Europa League in 1980.
They had barely started and blood was shed
In the 5th minute of the match a very dangerous event took place. John Lundstram hit Sebastian Rode’s head with traffic jams, blood appeared on the head of the Eintracht footballer. He was dressed on the turf for a few minutes, but most importantly – he was able to continue the game with a bandage on his head. Right after resuming the game, Daichi Kamada had a great opportunity. He squeezed between two defenders, but was unable to make a dangerous shot. The ball fell on the leg of Djibril Owl, who hit from the air, but Allan McGregor confidently saved his shot.
Moments later, Eintracht should be driving. Ansgar Knauff passed the rival, hit the Rangers goal, but McGregor perfectly saved his shot. In the 26th minute, one of the few attacks by Scottish players ended with a very dangerous shot by Joe Aribo. The ball missed Kevin Trapp’s goal by centimeters. Until the end of the first half, there were no more dangerous opportunities to change the result.
Great emotions after the break
Right after the break, Eintracht was able to take the lead. Lindstrom shot from outside the penalty area, the ball bounced off one of the defenders, completely confusing McGregor, but he missed his goal by centimeters. In the 53rd minute, the referee could have awarded Eintracht a penalty. Borre was hit in the Rangers’ penalty area by Goldson and fell to the pitch. The referee’s whistle was silent and VAR confirmed Vincic’s decision.
Eintracht did not take advantage of their opportunities, so did the Rangers. In the 57th minute, a fatal error in his own half was made by Tuta, who stumbled after playing Sowa. Aribo found himself alone with Trapp and took his team into the lead with a confident shot. Ten minutes later, Kamada could equalize. Goldson made a fatal mistake, Rode played to the Japanese, who wants to lobby McGregor in a one-on-one situation. The ball, however, soared over the bar.
Eintracht got up and straightened
Two minutes later, however, there was a draw! Kostić crossed from the left flank, Goldson missed the ball, and Borre passed the defenders and shot past McGregor from close range. The Rangers’ goalkeeper was close to becoming the anti-hero of the game. Kostić centered the ball from a free kick, McGregor miscalculated its flight path and saved himself at the last minute with a corner kick. It was a 1-1 draw in regulation time, so extra time was needed.
Rafael Borre was in a good position first. He took advantage of Calvin Bassey’s kiksu on the sideline, ran with the ball into the penalty area, but the Nigerian Rangers defender managed to catch up with him and blocked the shot from 14 meters. However, the Scots had the best chance in the 117th minute. Then Trapp did a great job, defending Ryan Kent’s shot from five meters.
Penalty kicks decided about the victory in the Europa League
Only Aaron Ramsey made a mistake in the penalty shootout. The Rangers midfielder appeared on the pitch in the 117th minute of the game. The Eintracht players performed all five eleven points flawlessly and won the cup.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
