The ÖFB defender was regularly cheered by Eintracht fans during the game with chants of “Hinti, Hinti”, and long following the final whistle the Carinthian made waves on the arena lawn with thousands of spectators in the stands. “It was a brutal game. We had to be extremely careful in every action,” said Hinteregger. “Luckily we played our counterattacks coolly today and also gilded. It was actually logical that things got tight once more at the end.”
With a 3-0 lead and a 1-1 draw from the first leg, Frankfurt looked like they were sure to climb the ladder, but then Barcelona struck twice in the finish. “If it had gone five minutes longer, it would have been tight,” admitted Hinteregger. The game was a “head game”. “Physically it’s fine, but mentally I’m completely broken.”
Glasner celebrated perhaps the greatest success of his coaching career by sliding past his line of pros on his stomach, head first, across the Camp Nou pitch. “The trousers are broken now, but it doesn’t matter,” said the Upper Austrian.
Glasner, who only came to Frankfurt from VfL Wolfsburg in the summer and thus left a Champions League club, was proud and delighted. “It’s burned into my heart forever. I will take these feelings with me until I hope to be one floor up at some point,” said Glasner, emphasizing the importance of the fans. “In this symbiosis we celebrated this huge success and this great victory.”
After some discussions with fellow coach Xavi Hernandez in the coaching zone, Glasner was keen to clarify something. The Upper Austrian apologized if he might have cheered a little too clearly in the direction of the Barcelona bench at the third goal – the interim 3-0 by Filip Kostic. “That was in no way my intention,” emphasized the 47-year-old.
In any case, Xavi was less annoyed with Glasner than with his own club leadership. The fact that so many Frankfurt fans made it to the stadium and thus nullified Barca’s home advantage caused the former world and European champions to fail to understand. “I told the players that what happens on the pitch is what matters. But of course it might have influenced us,” said Xavi, speaking of a “planning error”.
Barcelona President Joan Laporta was contrite. “I am ashamed and apologize. This will never happen once more. We have information regarding what happened. It’s outrageous and shameful. We will act and explain it,” Spanish media quoted him as saying. He did not give details.
The club had previously announced that 5,000 tickets had officially been sold to German fans, as required by UEFA. Spanish media speculated that many tickets for Germans probably came from resales and from travel agencies. Given the strong German fan presence, some Barca supporters had left their seats for ten minutes during the game in protest. According to official figures, the number of viewers was 79,468.
The Spanish newspaper “Sport” was harsh on the club and the fans. “It is absolutely unacceptable, no matter how you look at it, that in a European game where Barca are playing for a place in the semi-finals, the Camp Nou becomes a pressure cooker – but in favor of the opposing team,” the newspaper complained. The club and its members need serious self-examination. “What happened at the stadium last night must never happen once more!”
While the Catalans left the field as losers for the first time in 16 competitive games and are now very likely to end this season without a title, Eintracht will face an opponent from London, as in the 2019 Europa League semifinals. Back then they lost to Chelsea on penalties, this time West Ham United is the last hurdle before the final in Seville. RB Leipzig and Glasgow Rangers will play in the second semi-final.
