May 18, (THEWILL) – After a 1-1 draw in the Europa League final in Seville on Wednesday, Eintracht Frankfurt won their first European championship in 42 years with a 5-4 penalty shootout victory over Rangers and their Nigerian duo of Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey.
Oliver Glasner’s team were in their first European final since beating Borussia Monchengladbach in the same competition in 1980, and they fell behind in the 57th minute when Super Eagles’ Aribo capitalised on some sloppy defence.
However, 12 minutes later, the Bundesliga side forced extra time at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, thanks to Rafael Borre’s close-range strike.
Borre was also the hero in the shootout, thumping home the winning penalty after Aaron Ramsey’s take was saved by Kevin Trapp, who had already denied Ryan Kent late in extra time. Eintracht Frankfurt therefore became the first German team to win the UEFA Cup/Europa League since Schalke in the 1996/1997 season.
Frankfurt will celebrate the victory, the trophy, and entry into the UEFA Champions League next season.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
