Actually, Kevin Trapp didn’t want to talk about the Camp Nou anymore. At the end of the press conference, the goalkeeper from Eintracht Frankfurt did it and revealed content from a conversation with national team colleague Marc-André ter Stegen, who works at FC Barcelona. It was all about the condition of the ground in the Catalan stadium: after the 1-1 draw in the Europa League first leg in the Frankfurt Arena, Ter Stegen had whispered to Trapp that although the pitch in Barcelona was really well cared for, it was usually watered in such a way that “that there are puddles of water on the pitch, as wet as it is,” said Trapp. So the conditions won’t be any better in the second leg, that is to say.
Previously, the complaints that Barça coach Xavi Hernández had made publicly after the quarter-finals had been brought to Trapp and coach Oliver Glasner. The 42-year-old repeatedly criticized the quality of the lawn at the Bundesliga club and promised: “Everything will change at the Camp Nou.” But it seemed a bit cheap to blame the poor performance of his team on the bad work of the greenkeepers in the Frankfurt city forest.
Glasner immediately rolled his eyes when it came to the pitch: The native of Salzburg wanted to be recognized for a “fantastic performance” and pointed out: “We were on the verge of defeat, but we remain very, very humble. A win would have been possible, but there is no downer – just compliments.” The 47-year-old added self-confidently: “We’re going to Barcelona with the conviction that we can win there.”
It feels a bit crazy, says Kevin Trapp, because Frankfurt “feel like we could have won”
It is not yet known with what feelings his keeper Trapp then sits on the plane, but please no one, really no one should come to him with his personal memories of the Camp Nou. On March 8, 2017, Trapp, then at Paris Saint-Germain, experienced the low point of his career when a Barça ensemble, still directed by Lionel Messi, overran the already prominent PSG team like an inferno 6: 1.
“A different team, a different club, a different situation,” said Trapp, who recently played his sixth international match with Ter Stegen for the German national team against Israel (2-0) and ended up fishing a penalty kick out of the corner. “I keep getting asked,” he said, “but I can confirm that’s not on my mind anymore.”
Does not have good memories of the Camp Nou: Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.
(Photo: Peter Hartenfelser/Imago)
The 31-year-old preferred to analyze an intense European Cup game with 66 percent ball possession for the guests, but 16:7 shots on goal for the home side. “It feels a bit crazy because we leave the pitch with a 1-1 draw against FC Barcelona and we feel like we could have won,” said Trapp. “We had a lot of confidence before and now we’ve shown that we had every reason to be. We’ve put ourselves in a good position for next week.” Also because of the fighting and tactical remarkable performance of the Hessians, there was an electrifying atmosphere in the packed stands from start to finish.
The enraptured audience only let their heroes into the changing rooms after the waltz and lap of honor, and there will also be support next Thursday (9 p.m., RTL). In fact, up to 25,000, maybe even 30,000 Eintracht fans want to travel to the capital of Catalonia, and ten planes have already been chartered. The cardinal question will be how the entourage gets so many cards. That it would be unfavorable to give up home advantage after a surprisingly balanced first leg – this thought also drove Xavi: “I hope that many fans will come, then we can qualify for the semi-finals.”
“It wasn’t a good game from us, but it was a good result,” admitted Xavi
The coach politely praised Eintracht for their “physically strong team” which caused his selection more problems than expected. The midfield with Pedri, Gavi and captain Sergio Busquets tried in vain to control the game. Even when Frankfurt’s defender Tuta received a yellow-red card (78th minute), chances were still scarce. “It wasn’t a good game from us, but it was a good result,” admitted Xavi. The club icon had to substitute the previously rested Frenkie de Jong and Ousmane Dembelé after just over an hour to experience a move reminiscent of the tiki-taka era he shaped, which Ferran Torres completed to make it 1-1 (66th). Previously, the German U-21 international Ansgar Knauff had created the atmospheric climax with a dream goal (48th).
“From the first minute I felt that something was going” – Ansgar Knauff beats Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen to make it 1-0 for Eintracht Frankfurt.
(Photo: Marc Niemeyer/kolbert-press/Imago)
The loan from Dortmund has developed splendidly as a disguised right winger and has almost established itself as a top performer. “It was an unbelievable feeling to score this goal in front of the curve,” reported the 20-year-old, visibly moved. “From the first minute I felt that something was going. The 1-1 is a great result, everything is open in the second leg.” Eintracht has the psychological advantage of being able to win a lot, while Barça would lose further international reputation with another exit (the Champions League was already over).
Glasner and Trapp left the podium in high spirits five minutes before midnight, chatting, while Xavi had left the press room with the life-size Eintracht idols on the walls much more thoughtfully. It is not foreseeable who will laugh at a similar time on Thursday. Only that at that time there was still a penalty shoot-out, in which Eintracht Frankfurt forced Chelsea in the second leg of the semi-finals in their Europa League triumph in 2019, Trapp rules out: “We will not prepare for a penalty shoot-out because we are so in Barcelona want to play that we go straight through.”