Frankfurt put one foot in Europa final

Washington, April 29

Eintracht Frankfurt are a step away from reaching their first European competition final in more than 40 years after beating West Ham 2-1 in the first leg of the Europa League semifinals.

The German team had knocked out Barcelona in the quarterfinals and quickly shocked West Ham when Ansgar Knauff scored 51 seconds after kick-off at the London Stadium.

Both clubs are bidding to reach what would be their biggest match in decades — Frankfurt’s last final came when they won the Europa League predecessor UEFA Cup in 1980, and West Ham’s last game of that stature was the 1976 Cup Winner’s Cup final.

An all-German final in the second-tier European competition is a possibility after Leipzig scored late to defeat Rangers 1-0 at home in the other semifinal match.

In the Europa Conference League, Roma and Leicester drew 1-1. — AP