clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Chelsea, Europa League: Live blog

...as it happened: lineups, live blog, updates, highlights

Eintracht Frankfurt v Benfica - UEFA Europa League Quarter Final : Second Leg Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images

LIVE BLOG

FULL-TIME: All even at half-time in this semifinal tie.

90+5min: Neither side produces anything threatening in added-on time and the referee blows for full time.

90+1min: Willems on for Gacinovic, who had run himself into the ground.

90min: 5 minutes added on.

89min: Jovic, still working hard, wins a free kick off Pedro right down on the byline. Kostic swings in what amounts to a short corner, but David Luiz heads clear and Kante completes the clearance by winning a foul off Gacinovic, who stays down with cramp.

85min: Jorginho clears for a corner, which Rode takes and finds a wide open Abraham, who somehow heads over instead of into the back of the net. And then Jorginho gives the ball away 25 yards from goal and Frankfurt basically have a wide open net to shoot at, but David Luiz makes a huge block to keep it 1-1.

83min: Kante almost gets away with a handball right in front of the linesman, but the referee (rightly) calls it back despite no flag.

82min: Kovacic on for RLC to solidify the middle a bit?

81min: Suddenly it’s all Frankfurt as Da Costa goes past David Luiz and lays a ball across the area, which just misses Kepa’s fingertips and Paciencia’s toes.

78min: Chelsea make a giant mess of clearing a corner, and Giroud looks to have controlled the ball with the crook of his arm in the penalty area before clearing eventually. Frankfurt go nuts, as do the fans, but there’s no VAR and we play on.

77min: Another big miss from Chelsea as Hazard’s free kick finds a wide open David Luiz on the run, but he heads straight at Trapp. RLC had gotten hacked down to win that opportunity.

75min: Christensen cuts out a great ball from Jovic to Kostic on the counter. Had to make that tackle.

74min: Chelsea waste a couple more opportunities as the pressure on Frankfurt increases. RLC blasts one straight at Trapp, who palms the rebound at Hazard, but his volley is blocked for a corner, which Chelsea turn into more possession.

72min: Hazard loses the ball and hacks down Abraham and hilariously gets away without a card. Chelsea turn the free kick into a shot for Giroud, but he hammers it wide with the left foot. Paciencia replaces Fernandes for the home team.

71min: Another let-off for Frankfurt as Pedro can’t sort his feet after Emerson finds him with a nice cutback after a stellar series of passes.

67min: Hazard with a corner, which Trapp punches clear. Chelsea have dominated possession and proceedings in this second half.

66min: Giroud gets on the ball again in the area and goes to ground in a wrestling match with Hinteregger, but the referee is not interested in giving anything.

63min: Chelsea pass it around for a while before Jorginho picks out Giroud, but his shot on the turn is blocked for a corner by Hinteregger. Hazard takes, but Kostic runs it clear and wins a throw. Eintracht take it quickly and look to be in, but Jovic slips as he makes the pass and it’s too long for Gelson and Chelsea have a goal kick.

61min: Gelson Fernandes the latest to go in the book, as he clatters RLC from behind. Eden Hazard replaces Willian in the meantime.

60min: Trapp got a couple fingers to that apparently, but Pedro takes a terrible corner straight into the midsection of the one defender close to it, but Chelsea win back possession and pass it around a bit.

58min: Chelsea come again, and this time Hasebe hacks down Willian and gets a yellow for his troubles. Great central shooting position ... David Luiz lines it up ... and ... smashes it off the crossbar!

57min: Kante intercepts a pass in the middle and Chelsea attack quickly, but Willian takes took long to pull the trigger and Trapp saves.

56min: Christensen gives the ball away but Jorginho wins it back. Giroud then gets fouled on the halfway by Hinteregger, again and Chelsea establish possession.

54min: It should be 2-1 as RLC bosses his way through the middle again, finds Pedro out wide, but puts the return ball over the top of the bar. Pedro’s pass was a bit behind RLC, but he still should’ve finished that one. It remains 1-1.

49min: Rode and Jorginho clash heads on an aerial 50-50, and both are down for treatment and checks. Rode’s the first to get up, but Jorginho’s bleeding as he lies on his back. Eventually he gets bandaged up and they both continue on. Not even a three-minute concussion check? Sure, what could possibly go wrong?

47min: Jorginho with a nice ball to Emerson gets Chelsea going forward. He finds RLC but his cutback from the byline is interfered with by the referee and the shooting chance is gone. Chelsea maintain possession.

46min: No changes for either side at the half as Frankfurt restart the game and establish possession, briefly.


HALF-TIME: Great time to score. RLC miles away our best player.

45min: GOALLL!!!!! CHELSEA!! Frankfurt fail to clear the latest corner and RLC holds the ball against three, finding Pedro, who lashes it in with his left! Great determination from the young man and a great finish from the old man. 1-1!!!!!

44min: Willian runs around the full back and looks to be in, but choosing to lay it back in the vague direction of RLC instead of taking the shot on. The ball is cleared for a corner, which is then flapped clear by Trapp.

42min: RLC has a couple efforts, winning a corner with his first blast and pulling the second one just wide of the goalkeeper’s right-hand post. Close!

41min: Christensen gets away with a massive error as he misjudges a ball and loses a header on the halfway to Gacinovic, but the Frankfurt player stops to complain instead of chasing his on flick. There was no foul and Kepa gets there to clear.

40min: The tackles are flying, but no calls are coming and a bit of playground tussle breaks out in the Frankfurt half. Chelsea eventually re-establish possession on the halfway.

36min: Chelsea clear a free kick, just barely, for a corner, which is then worked for another corner, but it’s Chelsea who counter through Kante and Pedro and win a corner at the other end. Giroud gets whistled for a foul on the kick and Eintracht have the ball.

34min: After a couple corners, Willian tries a speculative curling cross/shot, and just misses.

29min: David Luiz tries his typical long pass, but it’s well out of Kante’s reach.

27min: Pedro tries his luck from range, but pulls it just wide. Goalkeeper probably had it covered.

23min: GOAL! Frankfurt. Da Costa wins the ball and Gacinovic gets Frankfurt going upfield. He nods it on for Jovic, who plays it out wide to Kostic, then makes the run into the middle to finish the cross with a tremendously well-placed header. 1-0, Eintracht Frankfurt.

21min: Kostic swing in the kick, it gets flicked on, all the way to Abraham on the far post. His first-time shot flies just over. Poor defending from Chelsea.

19min: Christensen badly mistimes his tackle on the right touchline, clobbering Rode and rightly getting a yellow. Rode rolls around a bit and there’s blood on the knee, but is then able to carry on.

18min: This time it’s Emerson who gets closed down and loses the ball and Eintracht establish possession in the final third. The home side work it well from left to right and Da Costa has a chance to pick out a few teammates in the middle, but his low cross is too close to Kepa who dives on it and holds on.

16min: RLC gets caught in possession this time and Da Costa bounds forward, eventually setting up Kostic for a long shot that is blocked by Kante. Giroud is then fouled on the half-way line by the bruising Hinteregger.

13min: Frankfurt’s turn to threaten as a cross from the right finds a wide open Kostic on the far post. He goes for the spectacular volley ... but he swings and misses completely and Azpilicueta clears.

11min: RLC continues to dominate, beating two to lead the attack, but his first-time ball out to Pedro, after a 1-2 with Giroud, takes an unlucky bounce and goes out for a goal kick.

10min: RLC beats three as Chelsea set up shop in the final third, but cannot work a chance. RLC is then fouled the next time he tries to take on three, but no call from the referee.

8min: Chelsea give the ball away in our own half again, and Jovic shows good feet to find the man out wide, but the cross from the left is wayward once again and Chelsea run it clear.

7min: Willian loses the ball wide left, on the half-way line and Eintracht turn upfield, looking for a past runner on the far post, but the cross is inaccurate.

5min: Strong tackles from Hinteregger on RLC stops Chelsea’s attack down the left. Taking no prisoners in that one.

4min: Big ball from David Luiz to Pedro who hits an early cross for Giroud, but it’s over his head and into the goalkeeper’s arms. The crowd is absolutely ridiculous. So much noise!

2min: Early corner for Chelsea as Azpilicueta’s cross is blocked. Willian plays short, gets it back from Pedro, but it’s blocked for a throw. Chelsea work the ball to Kante, who drags a shot well wide.

KICK-OFF: Great atmosphere with the stadium in all black and white. The head coaches and captains shake hands. Hütter dressed to the occasion, Sarri in his usual shlubby track suit. Chelsea, in all yellow, get us underway.


It’s another European semifinal for Chelsea, and that’s nothing to scoff at, especially as it’s been five years since the last one.

This is of course only the first leg, with another 90 minutes (or more) to follow next Thursday at Stamford Bridge. So let’s not to anything silly. A win would be great, a draw is also okay.

Here we go.


Eintracht Frankfurt starting lineup (3-4-3):
Trapp | Hinteregger, Hasebe, Abraham (c) | Falette, Fernandes, Rode, Da Costa | Kostic, Jovic, Gacinovic

Substitutes from: Ronnow, N’Dicka, De Guzman, Willems, Torro, Chandler, Goncalo Paciencia

Chelsea starting lineup (4-3-3):
Arrizabalaga | Emerson, David Luiz, Christensen, Azpilicueta (c) | Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Kante | Willian, Giroud, Pedro

Substitutes from: Caballero, Alonso, Barkley, Higuain, Hazard, Kovacic, Zappacosta


Date / Time: Thursday, May 2, 2019, 20:00 BST; 3pm EDT; 12:30am IST (next day)
Venue: Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande

On TV: BT Sport 3 (UK); Univision Deportes (USA); SONY TEN (India); elsewhere
Streaming online: BT Sport Live (UK); B/R Live (USA); SONY LIV (India)


Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the We Ain't Got No History Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of Chelsea news from We Ain't Got No History