Marcus Rashford came off the bench for Barcelona against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Tuesday night
Marcus Rashford in action for Barcelona on Tuesday evening in the Champions League
Marcus Rashford in action for Barcelona on Tuesday evening in the Champions League
(Image: Jose Breton/NurPhoto)
Marcus Rashford came off the bench for Barcelona on Tuesday night to inspire the Catalan giants to victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.
Frankfurt took a shock lead at the Camp Nou over Hansi Flick's side, with Ansgar Knauff putting the Germans a goal to the good. However, on-loan Manchester United forward Rashford made an immediate impact after being brought on at half-time as his cross was met by Jules Kounde, who put Barcelona ahead.
Kounde then rounded off a brace just three minutes later, with Barcelona holding on for the victory. The three points lifted the five-time European champions to 10 points and put them in contention to claim a top-eight place that would see them automatically progress into the last 16.
Spanish outlets praised Rashford for his contribution. Here's what they had to say.
Marca gave Rashford two stars out of three. On his performance, they said: "Raphinha fired over the bar after a Rashford pass.
"The second half couldn't have started more excitingly, and things only got more intense when Koundé headed home a great Rashford cross to level the score.
"The goal completely changed the game. The crowd spurred their team on, while Eintracht began to feel vulnerable."
Mundo Deportivo
Mundo Deportivo branded Rashford's performance "influential". They wrote: "He proved Flick right by immediately shaking up Barça's offensive method, generating two goal-scoring opportunities: one was not and the other was after an anthological cross for the 1-1."
The outlet added: "A Barcelona side with plenty of possession but lacking ideas needed, yet again, a comeback. Raphinha, who in the first half had occasionally moved to the right, switching positions with Lamine Yamal, or through the middle, settled permanently inside, and Rashford came on, bringing a spark to shake things up.
Marcus Rashford provided an assist for Barcelona's first goal on Tuesday night
Marcus Rashford provided an assist for Barcelona's first goal on Tuesday night(Image: 2024 Soccrates Images B.V.)
"If Flick was looking to Rashford for a solution, he wasn't wrong. After an initial run down the wing and a cutback to Raphinha, when he could have finished himself, a beautiful and precise cross came into the box, where Koundé headed it in perfectly."
SPORT were highly critical of Barcelona's performance but reserved praise for Rashford. They noted: "Marcus Rashford deserves a special mention.
"He was signed for this purpose: to shake things up for games that are stuck in a rut, to offer something different. Flick saw that the team needed a different kind of attacking player to create danger and he responded perfectly."
After the game, Rashford expressed his delight at playing a Champions League fixture in the Camp Nou for the first time. He said: "I'm enjoying it very much and looking forward to playing as much as I can.
"We're in a position where it was important we got the points so this is a good day and now we rest and try to improve.
"The most important thing was to win and I'm very happy we managed to do that. I thought we played quite well and controlled the game. They scored at an unexpected time but we reacted well and managed to get the goals without changing too much."
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