Martin Hinteregger’s last-gas equalizer helped Eintracht Frankfurt draw 1–1 to advance to the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals after extra time, beating Real Betis 2–1, while Bayer Leverkusen were defeated by Atalanta. Was eliminated 1-0. 2 overall) in the round of 16.
Frankfurt began the fight on Thursday night knowing that Betis would have to score one extra time and at least two goals to advance to the next round.
The hosts needed only 14 minutes to make their first clear chance of the match, as Ansar Nauf dodged the bar after a throw-ball from Jibril So, reported Xinhua news agency.
Betis lacked penetration and was no threat to Eintracht goalkeeper Kevin Trapp in the first 45 minutes, while Rafael Santos Borey’s shot from a promising position was dismissed in the closing stages of the first half.
After the break, Frankfurt remained on the front foot and should have opened the scoring, but Filip Kostik’s free-kick hit the crossbar in the 63rd minute.
Against the flow of the match, Betis nearly stunned the Eagles as Trapp had to tip a dangerous header from Juan Miguel Jiménez López around the post two minutes later.
It was a warning as Spain’s visitors stunned Frankfurt in the dying seconds, when substitute Borja Iglesias ended Nabil Fekir’s fine construction work, forcing the hosts to call for extra time.
Both sides were exhausted but Betis nearly doubled their advantage in the 109th minute when Borja Iglesias headed for the bar.
However, Frankfurt had the last laugh as Hintergeger scored a free-kick cross with his right shoulder to beat Betis keeper Rui Silva in the final minute to score the winning goal.
“We are certainly relieved. What an incredible game we have seen. We scored very late and were shocked but we recovered in extra time and fought back to make the next round,” Frankfurt head coach Oliver Glasner said.
Elsewhere, Atalanta also advanced to the quarter-finals for the first time in club history, when a last-gas goal from Jeremy Boga defeated hosts Bayer Leverkusen 1–0 (4–2 on aggregate). Leverkusen played with an aggressive mind but could not squander their chances and reversed a 3-2 loss at Bergamo.
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