Rafael Santos Borré may define the Eintracht Frankfurt vs. West Ham tie before the first half-hour of play. The Colombian forward positioned himself inside the area until he could receive a ball that could make a difference. When Ansgar Knauff's pass arrived, he scored with a crossed shot to make it 1-0 and bring his team closer to the Europa League final.
It's worth mentioning that the team led by David Moyes had fatal minutes due to the expulsion of defender Aaron Cresswell in the 19th minute. With that against them, the 'Hammers' coach made a mandatory modification that changed the entire plan at Deutsche Bank Park. So, the confusion was taken advantage of by the Germans.
Eintracht Frankfurt showed great patience in setting up the action that resulted in the goal. The German team circulated the ball throughout the field. When they reached the wing, there was a deep pass to Ansgar Knauff. Immediately, the winger sent a cross to the center and Rafael Santos Borré resolved it with a single touch to beat goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. West Ham: the preview
The Germans achieved a great 1-2 in London, which they could have extended in the final minutes or lost when Jarrod Bowen's bicycle kick hit the crossbar in injury time. But the Bundesliga team returned home with the advantage.
David Moyes, with the Premier League bandage, barely gave rest to his key players this weekend and both Pablo Fornals, Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen, and Kurt Zouma started in the defeat against Arsenal, a decision that he may regret because he is facing a unique opportunity to make history with the 'Hammers'.
Eintracht arrives at the second leg with the possibility of securing a place in the Europa League final at home after winning the away leg in a competition they seem fully identified with.
Like West Ham, the European competition is all Eintracht has left this season. Their campaign in the Bundesliga, currently in 11th place after losing to Bayer Leverkusen on Monday, has been forgettable.
In the defeat against Leverkusen, by 2-0, Glasner seemed to be thinking from the start about the second leg against West Ham and made eight changes to the starting lineup. The focus was clearly on Thursday's match.