It had to be Eden Hazard. This increasingly tense contest had been largely bereft of dashes of the Belgian’s brilliance, his twist and turn away from a frazzled David Abraham in the build-up to Chelsea’s goal aside, but there was a certain inevitability he would still end up deciding what may well prove to be his last appearance in blue in this arena. His scriptwriter should take a bow.
A slog of a tie had spluttered through two hours of rather undistinguished toil into a penalty shootout before Hazard’s moment eventually arrived. Kepa Arrizabalaga had watched his opposite number, Kevin Trapp, deny César Azpilicueta to tempt Eintracht Frankfurt into believing they were on the verge of a first European final in 39 years, only for the Spanish goalkeeper to block Martin Hinteregger’s scuffed attempt and save splendidly down to his left to paw away Gonçalo Paciência’s effort. Arrizabalaga’s rehabilitation after his tantrum at Wembley before this team’s last shootout feels complete.
Written by Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/may/09/chelsea-eintracht-frankfurt-europa-league-semi-final-match-report-penalty-shootout under the title “Chelsea beat Eintracht Frankfurt in shootout to reach Europa League final”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
