Sports
Kevin Trapp and Colombian Borré give Frankfurt second Europa League title in its history
The German goalkeeper made a crucial save at the end of extra time and then saved Aaron Ramsey's penalty in the shootout to give Eintracht a 5-4 win with the decisive goal from the Colombian player
May 18, 2022 10:02pm
Updated: May 19, 2022 1:13pm
Eintracht Frankfurt won its first European trophy in 42 years after beating Glasgow Rangers 5-4 on penalties following a thrilling 1-1 draw in the Europa League final at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in Seville on Wednesday.
Goalkeeper Kevin Trapp and Colombian striker Rafael Santos Borré led Frankfurt's historic triumph as they became the first German team to win this competition in the Europa League era.
Since the UEFA Cup was won by Schalke-04 in 1997, no German club had reigned supreme. However, Eintracht won its second cup to tie with Borussia Monchengladbach as the most winning German team. As a result, Frankfurt can now proudly claim the same number of Europa League titles as Real Madrid and one more than Bayern Munich.
🦅 Moment Borré sealed the triumph for Frankfurt in Seville!
— #UELfinal (@EuropaLeague) May 19, 2022
First @ChampionsLeague group stage campaign 🔜@eintracht_eng | #UELfinal pic.twitter.com/VOoTdVjb9L
In an emotionally charged encounter between two relatively inexperienced teams, the finals came down to who could hold their nerves in the penalty kicks. There, the Germans' mentality prevailed to join Chelsea and Villarreal in winning the tournament with an unbeaten record.
Eintracht started the second half on the offensive but were caught off guard when center-back Tuta lost his balance while trying to react to a backward header from midfielder Djibril Sow and Joe Aribo stepped up to give Rangers the lead. The goal set the Light Blues, coached by Gio Van Brockhorst, dreaming of their first title in this competition.
But Oliver Glasner's "Eagles" did not panic, a confident display from a team that was unbeaten in the competition this season, and equalized when Filip Kostić's low cross was flicked on by Colombian striker Rafael Santos Borré past veteran Scottish goalkeeper McGregor.
Save of the match? Trapp denies Kent via an outstretched leg 👏@eintracht_eng | #UELfinal pic.twitter.com/CkYo1WCIub
— #UELfinal (@EuropaLeague) May 19, 2022
Both teams kept pushing to win within game time and extra time, but neither team was effective enough to avoid the heart-stopping spectacle that a penalty shootout is for fans. It was the second consecutive occasion in which the Europa League title is defined from the penalty shot and the second time that fate is cruel to British clubs, like in 2021 when Manchester United lost 11-10 to Villareal.
Kevin Trapp has the final say 🧤
— #UELfinal (@EuropaLeague) May 18, 2022
Big stop in the shoot-out from Ramsey 🚫@eintracht_eng | #UELfinal pic.twitter.com/PKHYPLsJXQ
The Frankfurt goalkeeper was the German hero, forcing penalties with a miraculous save with his foot from Ryan Kent in the 119th minute. Trapp also had the final say in the shootout, saving Aaron Ramsey's spot-kick, allowing Borré to seal the trophy for the German club and book their first Champions League group stage place and their second appearance in Europe's top competition, after the final they lost to Real Madrid 7-3 in 1960.
