Ansgar Knauff helps Eintracht Frankfurt win the UEFA Europa League

Ansgar Knauff and Eintracht Frankfurt are the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League champions after beating Rangers in a dramatic final in Seville.

Eintracht Frankfurt triumphed over Rangers in the UEFA Europa League final on Thursday, winning 5-4 on penalties after the two sides could not be separated over 120 minutes. Ansgar Knauff and co. capped off their incredible run in the competition by keeping their nerve in the penalty shootout and winning their first European trophy in 42 years.

It was an absorbing final right from the start, and Eintracht Frankfurt were the better team for much of the first half. The Eagles caused Rangers all sorts of problems on the counter attack, with Daichi Kamada and Ansgar Knauff both forcing saves from Allan McGregor. The Borussia Dortmund loanee made some impressive darting runs down the right wing and helped set up a number of opportunities for his teammates.

Rangers started to take control of the game as the half wore on, but there was nothing to separate the two teams going into the break. The Scottish giants, who eliminated Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig en route to the final, finally got their breakthrough close to the hour mark as Joe Aribo took advantage of a slip from Tuta and finished coolly past Kevin Trapp.

But Eintracht Frankfurt weren’t to be denied, and they found their equaliser just 12 minutes later through Rafael Santos Borré. The striker got on the end of Filip Kostic’s crossed and steered it home to make it 1-1.

The game went all the way to penalties, where Aaron Ramsey’s missed spot-kick proved to be costly. Ansgar Knauff and Eintracht Frankfurt lifted the UEFA Europa League and also secured their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League. Their win means that there will now be five Bundesliga teams in Europe’s premier cup competition next season.