Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Eintracht Frankfurt: Unexpected Hero Inspires Comeback
-06ad2d29b37d2cca1a44008a56289260.png "Roberto Casillas")
For the third time in as many games, Barcelona came from behind to clinch a victory, on Tuesday evening it was a much needed 2–1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.
Ansgar Knauff’s early strike saw Barcelona go trailing into halftime at home for only the second time in the entirety of the Hansi Flick era. Fortunately for Barcelona, Jules Koundé came out inspired after the brake and scored a brace inside the opening 10 minutes that sufficed to secure the win.
It’s a pivotal victory in the aftermath of Barça’s debacle vs. Chelsea. The Catalans are now within striking distance of the direct qualification places to the round of 16, with two winnable games left to play in the Champions League league phase.
In the first Champions League match at Camp Nou in three years, Barcelona defeated Eintracht Frankfurt for the first time in club history, ensuring a happy ending in their spiritual home’s re-introduction to European nights.
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Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (4-2-3-1)
GK: Joan García—7.2: He stayed stuck beneath his goal instead of coming out to try and close the angle for Frankfurt’s opener and his distribution was subpar all game. However, he was stellar in the second half when it came to capturing crosses to deny any potential danger.
RB: Jules Koundé—9.3: The Frenchman looked nervy during the first half but it all changed after the break. His maiden professional brace led Barcelona to victory and he was flawless defensively after his pair of strikes.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—7.8: One of Cubarsí’s best games of the season defensively, well-positioned all night to make crucial interceptions and make pivotal clearances. Ended the night with the most completed passes (120) of any player of the pitch.
CB: Gerard Martín—7.3: Will be disappointed he couldn’t intercept the pass that led to the game’s opener but was otherwise very solid defensively. Even tried his luck venturing forward with what was Barcelona’s only shot on target of the first half.
LB: Alejandro Balde—7.2: His lack of physicality was exposed in Frankfurt’s goal, but Balde was competent otherwise, offering depth and width to the team down the left flank. He fully shut down Ritsu Doan.
DM: Eric García—7.9: García had a quiet night but did well balancing the side, shielding the back line and finishing the game as the most accurate passer as on the night.
CM: Pedri—8.0: He was more erratic than usual, but he still was in full control of Barcelona’s possessions. His defensive work was fantastic, tallying four recoveries and winning seven of eight duels. He put the game to sleep in the final minutes too.
RW: Lamine Yamal—7.9: Nathaniel Brown got the better of him in their personal battle. He improved in the second half and bagged an assist, but a clumsy challenge got him booked and he’ll miss Barcelona’s next Champions League match.
AM: Fermín López—6.7: Raphinha’s constant incursions into a more central position forced him to either drop further back into midfield or towards the wing where he’s at his least dangerous. Essentially a non-factor and was hooked at halftime.
LW: Raphinha—6.9: Although he led Barcelona’s pressing efforts, he was uncharacteristically erratic in the final action, misplacing passes and missing the mark with his best chance of the night.
ST: Robert Lewandowski—6.6: Another game where his age appears to be exposed. The 37-year-old looked slow and easy to mark, contributing to him exiting the match after just 19 touches and 10 completed passes.
Substitutes | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
Marcus Rashford (46’ for López) | 7.7 |
Frenkie de Jong (66’ for Raphinha) | 6.2 |
Ferran Torres (66’ for Lewandowski) | 6.3 |
Andreas Christensen (89’ for Balde) | N/A |
Roony Bardghji (89’ for Yamal) | N/A |
Subs not used: Marc-André ter Stegen (GK), Wojciech Szczęsny (GK), Jofre Torrents, Dro Fernandez, Marc Bernal, Marc Casadó.
Eintracht Frankfurt (4-2-3-1)
Starting XI: Michael Zetterer; Rasmus Kristensen, Robin Koch, Arthur Theate, Nathaniel Brown; Hugo Larsson, Ellyes Skhiri; Ritsu Doan, Mario Götze, Farès Chaïbi; Ansgar Knauff.
Subs used: Mahmoud Dahoud, Elye Wahi, Can Uzun, Jean Bahoya, Jessic Ngankam.
Player of the Match: Jules Koundé (Barcelona)
Barcelona 2–1 Eintracht Frankfurt—How It Unfolded at Camp Nou
Flick fielded his strongest XI as Barcelona played their first Champions League match in three years at the Camp Nou. The hosts started the game pressing with intensity, looking determined to get an early lead.
Robert Lewandowski believed he did just that when he tapped in a Raphinha cross 11 minutes in. However, the goal was waved off after a VAR review showed the Brazilian was offside when he got in behind the backline to whip in the cross.
To make matters worse, it was Eintracht Frankfurt who broke the deadlock with their first attack of the night. Nathaniel Brown found Ansgar Knauff behind Barcelona’s high defensive line and the German forward was able to shield the ball away from Alejandro Balde and fire a shot into the bottom corner to give the visitors the lead.
Barcelona dominated proceedings for the remainder of the first half, but what they had in energy and intensity they lacked in quality in the final third. Erratic passes and the inability to overcome Frankfurt’s low block defined Barça’s first half and they went trailing into the break.
Flick turned to Marcus Rashford looking for answers in the second 45 minutes and his move paid off immediately. The Englishman picked out a perfect cross from the left that a charging Koundé got to the end of to head home Barça’ equalizer inside five minutes of the second half.
COMEBACK JULES!!! pic.twitter.com/O98EW5Iv7I
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 9, 2025
Three minutes later, the Frenchman bagged his brace to complete Barcelona’s comeback. This time, it was Lamine Yamal who whipped in a cross towards the back post where Koundé climbed highest and placed his header just inside the post to give the hosts the lead.
Barcelona had a number of chances to increase their advantage in the ensuing minutes, but it was far from a clinical performance from Flick’s habitually deadly attack.
The inability to score a third made the final minutes of the match a nervy affair, though, the visitors failed to truly test Barcelona’s defense—unlike many of the club’s recent opponents.
Flick’s men were able to arrive at the finish line without much suffering, securing three vital points as European nights returned to the Camp Nou.
Barcelona vs. Eintracht Frankfurt Half-Time Stats
Statistic | Barcelona | Eintracht Frankfurt |
|---|---|---|
Possession | 78% | 22% |
Expected Goals (xG) | 0.45 | 0.25 |
Total Shots | 8 | 2 |
Shots on Target | 1 | 1 |
Big Chances | 0 | 0 |
Pass Accuracy | 89% | 59% |
Fouls | 4 | 7 |
Corners | 2 | 0 |
Barcelona vs. Eintracht Frankfurt Full Time Stats
Statistic | Barcelona | Eintracht Frankfurt |
|---|---|---|
Possession | 76% | 24% |
Expected Goals (xG) | 1.43 | 0.77 |
Total Shots | 19 | 6 |
Shots on Target | 7 | 4 |
Big Chances | 3 | 1 |
Pass Accuracy | 90% | 63% |
Fouls | 10 | 11 |
Corners | 5 | 0 |
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