Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez was left to rue his team's "many mistakes" after the Catalan giants were stunned by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday.
Entering the second leg at Camp Nou having secured a 1-1 draw in Frankfurt last week, Barca were widely expected to complete the job at home and book their place in the last four. But Frankfurt, inspired by a travelling support of around 20,000 fans, outplayed the hosts, with Filip Kostic scoring twice, the first an early penalty, either side of a stunning long-range strike by Rafael Santos Borre.
Sergio Busquets pulled one back for Barcelona in the 91st minute and then Memphis Depay scored a penalty in the 11th minute of injury time as the hosts attempted a late comeback. But it was too little too late as Frankfurt sealed a momentous 4-3 aggregate win and will now face West Ham after the Premier League side cruised past Lyon.
“This is a very big disappointment, a real shame because we wanted to win this competition but we have to congratulate Eintracht, they deserved to advance to the semis and we didn’t do well," Xavi said. "We didn’t play like we have recently, that is why we’re out.
“We tried, but our problem was the football. We had possession but we didn’t take advantage of it, our mistake. It was a fateful night. We made many mistakes, their second goal comes from a turnover, the penalty was an error, and in the third goal we are pressing one side of the pitch and allow them to move to the other. It was something we talked about and cannot happen. We have to be self-critical, we didn’t do well and that’s why we’re out."
Given Barcelona's recent excellent form, it made the shock of defeat and poor performance all the more surprising. Barca entered the game on a 15-match unbeaten run, including an emphatic 4-0 victory at arch rivals Real Madrid, and have surged to second in La Liga.
Barcelona player ratings v Eintracht Frankfurt
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BARCELONA PLAYER RATINGS: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen – 5. Stunned to concede two inside the first 36 minutes, the first a penalty, the second one of the goals of the season from Borre which he stretched – but failed – to reach. Fine save on 57 after another counter from his compatriots, but Kostic’s second made it 3-0. Getty -
Oscar Mingueza – 4. Kostic’s shot went through his legs for the Germans’ third goal on 68 – and with that Barca’s hopes of staying in the Europa League. Nightmare. But not for Kostic who has scored and assisted in two games this season – away to Barcelona and Bayern. Getty -
Eric Garcia – 5. Made the foul which gave away a fourth-minute penalty. Booked for his troubles … before his team went behind to a more intense side who took advantage of Barca’s errors. Barca’s central defenders are an issue. EPA -
Ronald Aruajo – 5. Moved up for a corner and had a half volley saved on 18. Couldn’t get close to Eintracht’s stunning second, but raced back to stop a 42nd minute attack. Weaker without Pique next to him. Said he was amazed to see so many away fans inside Camp Nou. EPA -
Jordi Alba – 5. Found himself part of a back three as the Catalans had to shift tactics at 0-3 down. He’s been around a while – he’ll never have seen as many away fans as the 20,000 Eintracht support inside Camp Nou in a 79,468 crowd. "The atmosphere didn't help, it's a big error from the club,” said Xavi. “It's not an excuse, we weren't good over the tie, but in the dressing room we want to know how this happened." EPA -
Gavi – 6. Huge game for the 17-year-old. Booked after 28 which meant he would have missed the first leg of the semi-final had Barca advanced. Which they were miles from doing. Barca were outdone tactically by Eintracht’s 3-4-3 formation. EPA -
Sergio Busquets – 6. An uncomfortable night for Barca’s most experienced player and was nowhere as Kamada spun past him to shoot on 78. Offside when Barca thought they’d scored, but did score Barca’s first goal, a sweet strike in the 91st minute. EPA -
Pedri – 5. His poorest game of the season. Substituted at half time with a pain in his leg. Big miss, but his passing was off beam and he was bypassed despite Barca having so much possession. AFP -
Ousmane Dembele – 8. Crossed towards Aubameyang on 9 and did the same again on 47 as he was Barca’s most dangerous player. Booked in time added on. Reuters -
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 6. Headed over on nine and missed a better chance after again being set up by Dembele on 46. Barca are looking for centre forwards this summer. Reuters -
Ferran Torres – 6. Played on the left of a front three and beat his man in a splendid 21st minute run. Attempted an overhead kick a few minutes later, but it didn’t happen against the ninth best team in Germany. Reuters -
SUBS: Frenkie De Jong (Pedri 45’) – 6. Limited impact as the Germans deserved their place in the last four. EPA -
Adama Traore (Aubameyang 61’) – 6. A threat on the wing. Reuters -
Serginho Dest (Mingueza 61’) – 5. The back four became a back three. AFP -
Luuk De Jong (Garcia on 69) – 6. On in a late, desperate attempt to rescue something for his shocked side. AFP -
Memphis Depay (Torres 80’) – 7. Scored after 100 minutes to make it 2-3 to Barca. Then the whistle went for full-time.
Xavi has called on his players to shrug off the defeat and turn their focus to league duties as Barcelona aim to keep alive their slim title hopes. More likely, the Catalans will look to solidify their top four hopes until the end of the season.
“Now we have to recover the players and continue to compete. We play Cadiz on Monday, the league is what’s left and we have to keep going," he said. "We cannot move away from the path we were on, we have to believe in what we’re doing.
"We have played great games, but losses are also part of football. If this is a failure, and I don’t want to use that word, we will learn more from our mistakes. This loss must make us believe in our ideas more, it’s a matter of time and patience.”
Xavi also said that he would be speaking to the club about how Frankfurt were allowed to have so many supporters inside the Camp Nou.
"Obviously it didn't help us," he said. "It was like a final, the fans evenly divided. The club is checking what happened but it was an error on our part."
Unsurprisingly, Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner was full of praise for his players, saying: "What we have experienced today no money can buy. These emotions will last forever."
