Frankfurt beat Rangers to win Europa League

Eintracht Frankfurt won their first European title in 42 years by beating Rangers in Wednesday’s UEFA Europa League final in Seville.

Frankfurt, who also won the tournament when it was called the UEFA Cup in 1980, came from behind in southern Spain before winning in a penalty shootout.

Midfielder Joe Aribo, playing out of position as a central striker, gave Rangers the lead in 57th minute.

Rafael Santos Borre leveled for the Bundesliga side to force extra time, which then passed by without any major incident until the 118th minute when Kevin Trapp pulled off a superb save to deny Ryan Kent from point-blank range.

READ ALSO: Man City in shock move for Pogba

Trapp was again Frankfurt’s hero in the shootout, saving a spot-kick from Aaron Ramsey to help his side prevail 5-4.

Frankfurt, had knocked out Real Betis, Barcelona and West Ham in previous rounds.

With a capacity of just under 43,000, Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan was never going to be big enough to house all the travelling fans, with Rangers bringing over an estimated 100,000 while around 60,000 followed Frankfurt to Spain.

Their victory in the final saw them qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League group stage, despite having finished 11th in Germany’s Bundesliga.

The Star