Barcelona fails to cross Eintracht Frankfurt hurdle, Rangers stunned by Braga, and more…
One underlying pattern united all four first-leg quarter-final games of the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League – every game was an end-to-end thriller with no clear favourites, as three of the four matches ended in stalemates while the only clash that yielded a result was decided by the slimmest margin of only one goal. Braga stunned Rangers to secure a 1-0 triumph, while Barcelona could only secure a 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Check out what happened in the quarter-final first leg ties of the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League:
RB Leipzig 1-1 Atalanta
RB Leipzig played out a 1-1 draw with Atalanta
The clash between RB Leipzig and Atalanta encapsulated every ingredient a European knockout game should have since both teams had chances of emerging victorious but it ultimately ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
A sensational strike from Luis Muriel got Atalanta in front in the 17th minute, but the Bundesliga outfit restored parity in the 58th minute, courtesy of a Davide Zappacosta’s own goal. Both sides then had chances of taking the lead but were not clinical enough to do so.
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Barcelona
Hardly anyone would not have predicted a Barcelona victory in this match, given that the Catalans are in spectacular form and their opposition, Eintracht Frankfurt are struggling in the ninth position in the 2021/22 Bundesliga standings. However, Die Adler did incredibly well to restrict Barcelona to a 1-1 draw.
Borussia Dortmund loanee Ansgar Knauff opened the scoring for the German outfit in the 48th minute, whilst a 66th-minute strike from Ferran Torres helped Barcelona draw level. Frankfurt’s defender Tuta was shown a red card in the 78th minute but Xavi’s men failed to capitalize on the numerical supremacy, as Oliver Glasner’s team saw the day off at 1-1.
West Ham United 1-1 Lyon
This clash between Premier League side West Ham United and Ligue 1 outfit Lyon was a proper humdinger of a contest as well since both teams have each other a run for their money. The Hammers had to play the entire second half with ten men, as Aaron Cresswell was handed marching orders just before half-time.
However, that did not stop David Moyes’ team from taking the lead as Jarrod Bowen got the hosts in front in the 52nd minute. However, they failed to preserve their lead as Tottenham Hotspur loanee Tanguy Ndombele brought Les Gones back in the game in the 66th minute.
Braga 1-0 Rangers
Rangers lost 1-0 against Braga and have a lot to fight for in the home leg
The only game among the four first-leg quarter-final ties that can be considered an upset, given that the Rangers were the favourites to win this game after brushing aside formidable teams in the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Crvena Zvezda.
However, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s attackers could not find much joy against Braga’s stern defence. Spanish forward Abel Ruiz opened the scoring for the hosts in the 40th minute and the Portuguese outfit’s backline did well to keep the scoreline at 1-0.