Eintracht Frankfurt’s Aurelio Buta (24) heads the ball out of his team’s box while playing host LouCity during friendly international match at Lynn Family Stadium Tuesday, July 30, 2024 in Louisville, Ky. LouCity had a few chances in the first half but visiting Frankfurt — with their strong defense and scoringm — won the match.

Barcelona VS Frankfurt: Koundé’s Claim To Glory

Originally posted on Stadium Rant | By Stefania Zajdel | Last updated Dec 9, 2025 9:15 PM ET

After recent problems in the Champions League , FC Barcelona needed to add three points to their tally. Their chance was the match against Eintracht Frankfurt, played in front of their home crowd. Although many Culers were hoping for an easy victory, reality had quite the surprise in store for them.

First Half To Forget

Barcelona got their fans accustomed to seeing the team be the first one to concede a goal, but in the game against Eintracht, it was Blaugrana who put the ball in their rivals’ net. Robert Lewandowski, assisted by Raphinha, managed to outplay the German defenders… Only for the referee on the sidelines to raise his flag. Since the Brazilian was offside, the score didn’t change.

To make matters worse for Barcelona, ten minutes later, Ansgar Knauff found himself in the perfect position to score the opening goal. Due to mistakes in Blaugrana’s defence, only Joan Garcia stood between him and the net. He did not waste the chance and converted the opportunity into a shot that the goalkeeper could not save.

The Catalan team tried to equalize the score, but couldn’t find sufficient flaws in Eintracht’s defence. Without rhythm or an idea for how to push the game forward, they ended the first half at a loss

Enter Jules Koundé

Although Barcelona began the second half in just as rough a shape as they had finished the first one, the tides turned thanks to one Jules Koundé. Five minutes after the first whistle, he levelled the playing field, scoring after a cross from Marcus Rashford. This was his first Champions League goal of the season.

Jul 29, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; FC Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele (7) celebrates with FC Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong (21) and FC Barcelona defender Jules Kounde (23) after scoring a goal during the first half against Real Madrid at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

And what was the first wouldn’t be the last, as less than three minutes later, Koundé put his team in the lead. This time, the goal came about after a corner, and Lamine Yamal was the one to note an assist. The fans gathered at Camp Nou came alive.

Having found themselves at an advantage, Barcelona cooled the game. Although both teams still tried to provide the fans with entertainment, the match lost some of its previous tension. The score got frozen at 2:1, a decent if slightly underwhelming result for the Catalan giants.

End Of My Barcelona Rant

The road to the three points might not have been easy, but Barcelona did end up taking them home. This slightly improved their position in the Champions League standings. They are currently 13th; however, it’s important to remember that not all teams played their matchday six fixtures.

This article first appeared on Stadium Rant and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: