German club Eintracht Frankfurt secured the 2022 UEFA Europa League title. They beat Scottish side Rangers F.C. en route to their victory. It took them 42 years to finally win another European trophy. Their goalkeeper Kevin Trapp was the star of the match. His crucial saves kept Frankfurt in the game and won them the title.
Spain’s Sevilla FC are 6-time Europa League winners. That is the record number of titles in the competition’s history. Fittingly, their home ground was the venue for the final. The Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan is also a noteworthy atmospheric stadium. However, a staggering 150,000 fans arrived in Seville to support their sides. The Ramon Sanchez can only hold a mere 44,000 at once. Consequently, Frankfurt’s President labelled it a ‘Micky Mouse stadium’.
Back in Germany, Frankfurt fans filled their stadium. Roundabout 50,000 fans gathered at the Walstadion to watch a screening of the final. There were incredible scenes as they saw Frankfurt win the Europa League.
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Frankfurt beat Rangers in the Europa League final: A glance at the match
The finale in Seville was between two underdog teams. Both sides defeated bigger clubs than them in their run to the final. The hopes were high from both the sets of fans leading into the big game.
Eintracht Frankfurt started the game on the front foot. The lead was theirs to take in the first quarter. However, Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor produced a good save. The first half also saw Rangers coming close to a goal via a set-piece.
Eventually, the Scottish side made it 1-0 thanks to a Frankfurt error. The Rangers fans went wild following this Joe Aribo goal. But soon after, Rafael Santos Borre scored the leveller. Frankfurt held their composure for the rest of the half. However, nothing of importance happened in the minutes to follow. Extra time seemed the ideal next step.
In extra time, both sides put on impressive displays. Rangers F.C. looked more threatening on the pitch. And their chance arrived with just 3 minutes to go. Substitute Kemar Roofe drilled in a cross for teammate Ryan Kent. Kent looked destined to score but for an unbelievable save. Frankfurt goalie Kevin Trapp made one of the saves of the season. His denial of a Rangers goal took the match to penalties.
Aaron Ramsey, who came on as a 117th-minute sub, missed his penalty. His was the one miss of the shootout. Borre scored the winning penalty to seal the win. The players and the fans ran away in jubilation. The Europa League trophy will finally travel to Eintracht Frankfurt.
What next for the two clubs?
The winners will be playing in the Champions League next season. Frankfurt booked their spot by sealing the Europa League. As for Rangers, they will look to focus on domestic competitions. Celtic pipped them to the Scottish Premiership in 2021/22.