Eintracht Frankfurt will play West Ham United in the semi-finals of the Europa League courtesy of a 3-2 win over Barcelona in the second leg of their quarter-final on Thursday night.
The tie was delicately poised at 1-1 from the first leg in Germany, but Frankfurt were ahead just four minutes into the contest in Spain, with Filip Kostic netting from the penalty spot after Eric Garcia had clumsily brought Jesper Lindstrom to the ground.
The visitors then doubled their advantage on the night in the 36th minute when Rafael Borre worked the ball onto his right foot before unleashing an unstoppable effort past Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
A disappointing first 45 minutes for the home side saw them manage just one attempt on target, with Frankfurt in complete control despite only having 31% of the possession in the first period.
Barcelona should have scored early in the second period when Ousmane Dembele found Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but the Gabon international somehow missed the left-hand post.
Aubameyang was then denied by Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp in the 56th minute, but the visitors put the tie behind the La Liga outfit in the 67th minute when Kostic netted his second of the match by expertly picking out the bottom corner.
Barcelona had an effort from Sergio Busquets chalked off for offside in the 84th minute, but the experienced midfielder did get his name on the scoresheet in the final exchanges to give the home fans something to cheer.
Ronald Araujo and Luuk de Jong then both missed good chances for the Catalan outfit in the latter stages, with nine minutes of additional time being signalled, and the visitors lost Evan N'Dicka to a late red card for an elbow on Luuk de Jong before Memphis Depay netted Barcelona's second from the penalty spot.
Frankfurt's excellent display saw them earn a spot in the final four, though, where they will take on West Ham, who overcame Lyon 4-1 on aggregate, for a spot in the final of the competition.
Matt Law
