Picture credits - Twitter
The Europa League final is all set to be hosted in Seville, Madrid. German based club Eintracht Frankfurt will face Scottish club Rangers.
An exciting affair is on the cards as the two competitive teams meet each other in Seville.
Both Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers FC beat some big named teams to reach this landmark stage.
Eintracht Frankfurt finished top of their group, remaining unbeaten in the 6 games they played. On the other hand, Rangers came in 2nd in the group, behind French team Olympic Lyonnais.
Rangers qualified for the next round, by a single point!
Rangers qualified for the Europa League, after they beat Alashkert with an aggregate score of 1-0 in the playoff round.
As Rangers finished 2nd, they had to play the teams that placed third in their respective UCL group. This is when Rangers came to life in the competition.
They first upset the famed Borussia Dortmund, by beating them 4-2 at the Signal Iduna Park. In the return leg, a James Tavernier brace was enough to clinch a 2-2 draw. As a result, Rangers qualified for the Round of 16.
Rangers had an easier draw as compared to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Crvena Zvezda were beaten 4-2 on aggregate by Rangers as they reached the quarter final stages.
On the other hand, Frankfurt’s tie was full of drama as they eked out a 1-1 draw at home against Real Betis to win with an aggregate score of 3-2.
A 120th minute own goal by Guido Rodriguez helped Frankfurt past a stubborn Betis side. Goals from Filip Kostic and Daichi Kamada handed a 1 goal lead in the first leg to Frankfurt.
Eintracht Frankfurt faced a struggling FC Barcelona side, whereas Rangers faced Portuguese side SC Braga.
Even though many thought FC Barcelona would ease past Frankfurt, football fans knew this will not be the case. Frankfurt managed to get a 1-1 draw at home against Barcelona but, the state of play suggested Frankfurt had more than enough cavalry to cause an upset at the Nou Camp in a weeks time.
In the return leg, FC Barcelona were pushed onto the backfoot, straight away. Filip Kostic scored a 4th minute penalty to help Frankfurt take lead of the tie.
Just after the half hour mark, Rafael Santos Borre Maury doubled Frankfurts lead.
The third and final blow came in the 67th minute for Barcelona as Filip Kostic got his second of the game to put the tie beyond the culers.
Despite a late comeback by Barcelona, thanks to goals by Sergio Busquets and Memphis Depay, Frankfurt qualified for the Semi-finals with an aggregate scoreline of 4-3.
Rangers on the other hand, came back from a 1-0 deficit to reach the semi-finals stage. James Tavernier scored a 2nd minute goal at Ibrox to get his team level on aggregate.
He then scored a 44th minute penalty to put Rangers 2-1 up just to be pegged back by a late David Carmo goal. The tie went into extra time.
Fortunately, Kemar Roofe had the final say as Rangers beat Braga 3-2 to reach the semi-finals.
It was the other German team that Rangers faced in the semi-finals. RB Leipzig took on Rangers at the Red Bull Arena Leipzig. They beat the Scottish side 1-0, thanks to an 85th minute goal by leftback Angelino.
Though, in the 2nd leg, it was the familiar figure of James Tavernier, who helped Rangers beat Leipzig 3-1. Tavernier brought Rangers on level terms, before Glen Kamara and John Lundstram took Rangers to a first European final in over a decade. Cristopher Nkunku made things interesting but it was Lundstram’s goal that helped Rangers take down RB Leipzig.
Frankfurt on the other hand had to dig deep, to beat an in-form English side, West Ham. A 2-1 win for Frankfurt away from home along with a 1-0 win at home put the German side into the finals of the Europa League.
The final is going to be played in Seville, Spain, at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
The final will be played at 12:30 AM IST, on 19th May.
Watch UEFA Europa League final 2021-22 – Frankfurt vs Rangers LIVE on SONY TEN 2 SD & HD (English) channels on May 19, 2022, from 12:30 AM IST.
The Frankfurt vs Rangers UEFA Europa League final match will be available on Sony Liv.
Predicted Eintracht Frankfurt starting XI: Trapp, Toure, Tuta, Lenz, Knauff, Rode, Sow, Kostic, Hauge, Kamada, Borre
Predicted Rangers starting XI: McGregor, Tavernier, Lundstram, Bassey, Goldson, Barisic, Wright, Ramsey, Kamara, Kent, Ayodele-Aribo
The Europa League final will have no shortage of drama, entertainment, talent, skills as both teams look to win the prestigious trophy.
The workload of Indian bowlers has become a hot topic after Jasprit Bumrah sustained an…
Jasprit Bumrah delivered a sensational performance in the Melbourne Test, earning high praise from Adam…
A few days ago, Sunil Gavaskar went viral for his fiery commentary during the ongoing…
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif expressed his disagreement with the team management and selectors for…
India's head coach Gautam Gambhir and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah were seen having a lengthy discussion…
An explosive report has revealed growing tension within the Indian cricket camp, with head coach…