Goals from Filip Kostic and Daichi Kamada in Spain earned Eintracht Frankfurt a 2-1 first-leg advantage over Real Betis in the UEFA Europa League round of 16.

Real Betis 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
Goals: 0-1 Kostic (14’), 1-1 Fekir (30’), 1-2 Kamada (32’)

Both sides exchanged chances in the opening minutes, with Betis starting to come into the game after a bright Frankfurt start. But any momentum evaporated in an instant as Eintracht talisman Kostic lobbed Claudio Bravo from wide on the left. Some may say it was a cross, but nobody of a Frankfurt persuasion will have cared as it nestled in the net. The hosts drew level on the half hour when their star man Nabil Fekir cut in off the right and picked out the far bottom corner. However, the delight of the Spanish crowd lasted barely 120 seconds as the Bundesliga club retook the lead. Jesper Lindstrom took advantage of some loose passing at the back to nip in and draw in three Betis defenders before squaring for Kamada for a simple finish inside the six-yard box.

Die Adler were given another chance to extend their advantage in the tie early in the second half when Lindstrom drew a handball from makeshift left-back Aitor Ruibal, but Rafael Borre’s penalty was saved by Bravo. It was the start of a Colombian-Chilean personal dual as the Eintracht striker was twice played in one-on-one but denied both times by the Betis goalkeeper to stop Frankfurt from building a greater lead. Eintracht were well worth their first-leg victory, mustering up seven attempts on target to the hosts’ three, and are well placed ahead of the return fixture in Frankfurt next Thursday.

Match stats

• Kamada is Eintracht’s leading scorer in this year’s competition with four goals. He’s also the highest scoring Japanese player in UEFA Cup/Europa League history with 10 in 17 games.
• Kostic got his first goal since November against Freiburg. It was his fourth of the season, equalling his total from the whole of 2020/21 (four in 30 games).
• Since Kostic’s Europa League debut in 2018/19, only Bruno Fernandes has scored more goals from outside the box (four) than Frankfurt’s Serbian.
• This was the first time Frankfurt had scored two goals in the first half of an away game in the Europa League.
• Eintracht are still yet to lose away at a Spanish club (W3, D1) and extended their unbeaten run against clubs from Spain to six games. Their sole defeat was the first encounter, against Real Madrid in the 1659/60 European Cup final.
• Although unbeaten at home in Europa League group stages, Betis have still never won a knockout game in the competition on their own turf (D2, L3). Seville is also the host city for this year’s final.

Line-ups

Betis: Bravo - Sabaly, Pezzella, Gonzalez, Ruibal (Tello 77’) - Rodriguez, Carvalho (Miranda 61’) - Canales (c), Fekir, Juanmi (Joaquin 61’) - Jose (Iglesias 77’)
Unused subs: Robles, Silva, Bartra, Ruiz, Lainez, Rodri
Out: Montoya (Achilles)
Coach: Manuel Pellegrini

Frankfurt: Trapp (c) - Tuta, Hinteregger, N'Dicka - Knauff, Sow, Jakic, Kostic - Lindstrom (Hauge 73’), Kamada (Lenz 78’) - Borre (Lammers 86')
Unused subs: Grahl, Horz, Hrustic, Rode, Toure, Hasebe, Chandler, Da Costa, Barkok
Out: Ache (hamstring), Paciencia (suspended), Ramaj (knee)
Coach: Oliver Glasner

As it happened!

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