Kounde headers fires Barcelona past Eintracht Frankfurt
Jules Kounde's quick-fire brace of headers helped Barcelona to fight back to edge past Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 in the Champions League at Camp Nou, marking a much-needed win for the Catalan side.
After a draw against Club Brugge and a loss to Chelsea, Barcelona found its stride to climb to 14th in the standings, level on 10 points with several teams, as it aims for a top-eight finish to secure direct qualification for the last 16. Frankfurt is 30th with four points from six matches.
Frankfurt struck first in the 21st minute through Ansgar Knauff on the counter but Barca's persistence paid off when Kounde scored twice early in the second half.
In the 50th minute he nodded home from just inside the box from Marcus Rashford's cross and, in the 53rd, the French defender jumped high in a crowded box to head the winner from a Lamine Yamal cross.
"They have made it difficult for us. They sat very deep, had a lot of players on the back, which makes it tough, Lamine Yamal had two or three players on him all the time," Pedri said.
"We made some adjustments at halftime, put more players up front and it worked out, we felt better and found the goals. Kounde is a guy who works hard and deserves it. We're happy with the result."
In front of an animated Camp Nou crowd – its first Champions League fixture since partially reopening after two-and-a-half years of redevelopment – Barcelona started in control of possession.
Robert Lewandowski thought he had netted the opener in the ninth minute, only to see his close-range strike ruled out for offside in the build-up.
However, it was Frankfurt who seized the initiative in the 21st minute, exploiting Barcelona's high defensive line.
Nathaniel Brown launched a defence-splitting pass to Knauff, who sprinted clear of Alejandro Balde and coolly slid the ball past Joan Garcia to put the visitors ahead.
The goal extended Barcelona's poor defensive record in the competition under coach Hansi Flick, having now conceded in nine consecutive Champions League matches and keeping a clean sheet in only four of their last 13 outings.
Barcelona pressed to equalise before halftime, with the 16 year-old Yamal providing a dangerous low cross for Fermin Lopez, but the midfielder's first-time effort was heroically blocked near the goal-line.
Against the run of play, Frankfurt nearly doubled its advantage when Ellyes Skhiri fired narrowly wide from the edge of the box just before the interval.
Frankfurt emerged sharper after the break, with Garcia producing two excellent saves to deny efforts from Fares Chaibi and Hugo Larsson in quick succession. Those saves proved pivotal, keeping Barcelona in contention.
In the 50th minute, substitute Rashford delivered an inch-perfect cross from the left which met Kounde's darting run into the box. The French defender headed into the bottom corner, levelling the score.
Three minutes later, Kounde struck again when another cross from Yamal – now operating on the left – found him in a crowded box. Using his strength, the defender rose above his marker and angled a header into the net to give Barcelona the lead.
Barcelona pushed for a third goal but Frankfurt held firm and posed intermittent danger on the counter. Despite the late drama, Kounde's second-half heroics proved enough for the hosts to seal the win and give their Champions League campaign a much-needed boost.
