April 15. 2022 - The Europa League semi-finals will feature four Croatian footballers - Kristijan Jakić, Joško Gvardiol, Nikola Vlašić, and Borna Barišić. 

After the first match in Frankfurt ended 1-1, Eintracht surprised Barcelona by winning 3-2 at Camp Nou on Thursday, thus securing a spot in the Europa League semi-finals.

RB Leipzig, West Ham, and Glasgow Rangers also qualified among the four best teams.

Eintracht had the support of more than 25,000 fans at Camp Nou. Although Frankfurt was entitled to only 5,000 tickets, German fans procured tickets through all possible channels, so the atmosphere was as if the away side was playing in Frankfurt.

Barcelona was not off to a good start. In the third minute, Eric Garcia knocked down Jesper Lindstrom, and Portuguese referee Artur Soares Dias pointed to the penalty spot. Filip Kostić took the penalty for the lead. 

In the 10th minute, Barcelona failed to equalize with chances for both Pedri and Aubameyang. Barcelona put pressure but was unable to break Eintracht's defense. Eintracht, on the other hand, was full of confidence. Kostić found Rafael Borre in the 36th minute, who shot from more than 25 meters for 0-2. 

Barcelona could have reduced the lead in the second minute of the second half, but Aubameyang missed the goal. Eintracht had a great chance in the 58th minute, but Marc-Andre ter Stegen reacted great in goal. However, Ter Stegen couldn't do anything in the 67th minute when Kostić scored for an incredible 0-3 lead.

Barcelona scored from the offside position in the 84th minute, which did not count. Busquets, however, still reduced the score with a great goal from the edge of the penalty area in the 1st minute of stoppage time. Barcelona scored another goal in the 11th minute of stoppage time. Depay was certain from the penalty spot, but there was no time for more than that. Kristijan Jakić was excellent for Eintracht.

Eintracht will play against West Ham in the semifinals, which outclassed Lyon 3-0 after the London match ended 1-1.

Lyon was off to a great start, with chances in the 6th and 27th minutes. West Ham took the lead in the 38th minute. Pablo Fornals neatly controlled the ball after a short corner and knocked it on to Craig Dawson for the 0-1 lead. In the last moments of the first half, Declan Rice scored from the edge of the penalty area for 0-2. All doubts about the winner were resolved in the 48th minute when Jarrod Bowen scored for 0-3. Nikola Vlašić did not play for West Ham. 

RB Leipzig also reached the semi-finals after beating Atalanta 2-0 in Bergamo. The first game ended 1-1. 

Two years ago, RB Leipzig reached the semifinals of the Champions League, where they lost to PSG, and now they have reached the semifinals of the Europa League. Leipzig will play against Borna Barišić and the Rangers in the semifinals, who beat Braga 3-1. In the first match, the Portuguese club won 1-0 in front of their fans.

The match's hero was double scorer Christopher Nkunku (18, 87-penalty). Croatia national team player Joško Gvardiol played for the guests until the 79th minute, while Mario Pašalić played for Atalanta from the 88th minute.

With this victory, Leipzig extended their undefeated streak to 13 matches in all competitions, while Atalanta recorded four games without a win.

Source: Gol.hr

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