The last time Eintracht Frankfurt reached the final of a European competition was 1980, but that long wait could come to an end this week. The Eagles are no more than 120 minutes and a potential penalty shootout away from reaching the UEFA Europa League showpiece at Seville’s Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuan on 18 May. They head into Thursday’s semi-final second leg against West Ham United (kick-off 21:00 CEST) in a promising position, having won 2-1 in London last week.
No guarantees
Eintracht have progressed from 22 of their 25 knockout ties in major European tournaments after coming out on top in the first leg, while also winning six from six after establishing a first-leg lead on foreign soil.
However, last week’s open game in London underlined just how fine the margins can be, while Real Betis proved in the round of 16 that a 2-1 first-leg victory away from home is by no means decisive. Furthermore, the Hammers collected seven of a possible nine points on their travels in the group stage and were too strong for Lyon in the previous round, cruising to a 3-0 victory in France after being held to a 1-1 draw in London.
In the 1976 European Cup Winners’ Cup, Eintracht were on the brink of reaching the final after beating West Ham 2-1 in the semi-final first leg but returned home empty-handed after a 3-1 defeat in the English capital. To ensure history does not repeat itself 42 years later, board member for sport Markus Krösche says the Eagles not only need their supporters but “the whole of Frankfurt behind us to realise our dream of reaching the final”.
Match info
Kick-off: Thursday 5 May 2022 21:00 CEST, UEFA Europa League, semi-finals, second leg.
Stadium: Frankfurt Stadion, Frankfurt.
