Washington, April 15
Barcelona’s European campaign has gone from bad to worse in their first season post Lionel Messi.
First the Spanish powerhouse were eliminated from the lucrative Champions League, and now they have been knocked out of the second-tier Europa League by Eintracht Frankfurt.
The German team stunned Barcelona 3-2 at the Camp Nou to advance to the semifinals on a 4-3 aggregate score.
Barcelona were the title favourites, looking to win the one trophy not in its collection. They were playing for the first time in the Europa League and had never won its predecessor, the UEFA Cup, reaching the semifinals on four occasions but not getting to a final. Frankfurt won the UEFA Cup in 1980.
Frankfurt will next face West Ham after the Premier League club advanced to a European competition semifinals for first time since 1976 by eliminating Lyon 4-1 on aggregate.
Earlier, Christopher Nkunku scored twice to help Leipzig reach their first semifinals in a European competition with a 2-0 victory at Atalanta. Kemar Roofe scored in extra-time for Rangers to prevail 3-1 over nine-man Braga for a 3-2 aggregate victory to face Leipzig next.
Leicester became the first team to advance to the semifinals of the inaugural Europa Conference League after coming from a goal down to beat PSV Eindhoven 2-1. The Premier League team will next play Roma. With Jose Mourinho in charge, Roma are one of the favourites to win UEFA’s new third-tier competition. — AP
Pedri hamstrung
Barcelona: Barcelona midfielder Pedri Gonzalez will be sidelined for an unspecified period after an injury during a loss to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League, the Spanish club said today. The 19-year-old tore the femoral biceps in his left hamstring during the 3-2 home defeat Thursday. AP
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