Eintracht Frankfurt breaches Barcelona’s fortress, Rangers come from behind to win, and more…
If the second leg ties of the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League quarter-finals were nerve-wracking, UEFA Europa League took it a couple of notches higher as there was an incredible story of defying odds and overcoming seemingly unscalable obstacles in all of the four fixtures. Two German teams in Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig, one English team in West Ham United, and one Scottish team in Rangers have qualified for the semi-finals.
Check out what happened in the UEL quarter-finals second leg ties:
Barcelona vs Eintracht Frankfurt (3-4 Agg.)
Barcelona were the firm favourites to win the second leg tie against Eintracht Frankfurt despite a 1-1 draw in the first leg, as the Catalans have been at their best in the second leg fixtures all throughout the 2021/22 season. However, a repeat of the same was not to be seen on Thursday as the German side registered a 3-2 victory.
Serbian winger Filip Kostic opened the scoring for the Eagles in the 4th minute, while Frankfurt doubled their lead in the first half itself, courtesy of Rafael Santos Borre’s 36th-minute strike. Kostic scored again in the 67th minute and it then seemed that the tie is all but over, but Xavi’s team did make a late surge.
Sergio Busquests reduced the deficit in the 91st minute whereas Memphis Depay too got his name on the scoresheet in the 11th minute of the additional time, but unfortunately for the Catalans, it proved to be too little too late.
Atalanta vs RB Leipzig (3-2 Agg.)
Christopher Nkunku’s brace secured RB Leipzig’s semi-final berth
Italian outfit Atalanta did really well to play out a 1-1 stalemate against RB Leipzig away from home in the first leg, but they failed to turn up for the second leg tie at their home turf in the Gewiss Stadium, as the Bundesliga side registered a 2-0 triumph.
French winger Christopher Nkunku opened the scoring for Die Roten Bullen in the 18th minute. Atalanta then tried all they could to bounce back in the game and had plenty of opportunities to do so, but The Goddess’ strikers lacked conviction. Instead, Nkunku struck once again for Domenico Tedesco’s team in the 87th minute to secure their place in the semi-finals.
Lyon vs West Ham United (1-4 Agg.)
West Ham United handed Lyon a 3-0 drubbing
Though not as bid as Eintracht Frankfurt’s win, West Ham United’s triumph over Lyon could be considered an upset as well since David Moyes’ team arrived in France on the back of a 1-1 draw in London. However, they were seen at their very best in this game as the Premier League side registered a 3-0 win over Les Gones.
Craig Dawson opened the scoring for the Hammers in the 38th minute, whereas Declan Rice scored just minutes before half-time to take a two-goal advantage into the lemon break. Jarrod Bowen then got his name on the scoresheet just three minutes after the resumption to seal West Ham United’s semi-final berth.
Rangers vs Braga (3-2 Agg.)
Rangers overcame a one-goal deficit to beat Braga 3-2 on aggregate
The pattern was similar in this game as well since the Rangers overturned a one-goal deficit from the first leg to secure a 3-2 win on aggregate against Portuguese outfit Braga. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men got an early lead in the second leg fixture, courtesy of James Tavernier’s 2nd-minute goal.
The Englishman scored once again in the 44th minute from the penalty spot to make it 2-1 on aggregate, but just as when it seemed that the team from Glasgow had done enough to see the day out, David Carmo’s 83rd-minute strike took the game to extra time.
Rangers came up trumps once again, as Keman Roofe’s 101st-minute goal booked a semi-final date against RB Leipzig for them.