- Glasgow Rangers beat Leipzig 3-1 at home in the semi-finals of the Europa League, making up for the 0-1 mortgage in the first leg.
- Frankfurt are also in the final after beating West Ham 1-0 at home (first leg 2-1).
- The final will take place in Seville on Wednesday 18 May.
The Glasgow Rangers had to fight back twice against Leipzig. First they redeemed the 0-1 mortgage from the first leg with an early double strike from James Tavernier and Glen Kamara (19th/24th).
Legend:
Big cheers
with James Tavernier and Rangers.
imago images/Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock
After Christopher Nkunku shortened the lead in the 70th minute with a direct acceptance (70th), an extension was threatened. But the Scots didn’t want to get involved in an additional shift and scored 3-1 through John Lundstram. The Englishman kept track of things after a mess in Leipzig’s penalty area and made the decision from close range in the 80th minute.
The Rangers thus prevented a purely German Europa League final. In the second semi-final, Frankfurt beat West Ham 1-0 at home after winning 2-1 in the first leg.
Early red card against West Ham
Hopes of an English coup were dashed early on. Aaron Creswell saw red after just 19 minutes. The defender was the last man to knock down Frankfurt’s Jens Petter Hauge. After consulting the video images, referee Jesus Gil Manzano decided on the emergency brake.
It only took 7 minutes before Frankfurt converted the numerical superiority into a goal. Ansgar Knauff ran through unchallenged on the right side and served Rafael Borré, who was completely free in the middle, who was able to easily push in to make it 1-0.
By this point at the latest, the matter had become a Herculean task for West Ham. The Premier League club had promising chances but failed to score. In the 78th minute coach David Moyes lost his nerve and was banished to the stands by Manzano.
The Swiss national player Djibril Sow played through for the Hessians. After the final whistle, there was no stopping the Frankfurt fans. Thousands stormed the lawn and celebrated with their team reaching the final. Seville, the venue of the Europa League final, can look forward to a big party with Rangers and Frankfurt fans on May 18th.