December 10, (THEWILL) — Jules Kounde scored twice in the second half to hand Barcelona a vital 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday, lifting the Catalan side to 14th in the UEFA Champions League standings.
Frankfurt took a surprise lead in the 21st minute when Ansgar Knauff raced onto Nathaniel Brown’s pass, beating Alejandro Balde before slotting into the bottom-right corner. Robert Lewandowski had earlier seen a goal chalked off for offside against Raphinha, while Gerard Martin tested Michael Zetterer with a long-range effort during a period of Barcelona dominance. Ellyes Skhiri nearly doubled the visitors’ advantage before the interval, but his shot sailed narrowly over.
A half-time substitution changed the contest. Marcus Rashford, introduced at the break, delivered a curling cross in the 50th minute that Kounde headed home to level the scores. The defender struck again just three minutes later, meeting a Lamine Yamal delivery from the left to nod past Zetterer and complete the turnaround.
Barcelona pressed for a third goal, with Ferran Torres firing wide from distance, but the two-goal cushion proved sufficient. Frankfurt failed to muster a late response, leaving the hosts to collect three crucial points.
The victory moves Barcelona within two points of the top eight in the UCL table, strengthening their bid to progress to the knockout rounds. Kounde’s unlikely brace proved decisive in a match where the hosts had dominated possession but initially struggled to break down their German opponents.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
