Eintracht Frankfurt dominate Ajax to book Europa League quarter-final spot

Leading 2-1 from the first leg, Frankfurt showed no signs of complacency. They immediately took control of the match, scoring early in the seventh minute. Jean-Matteo Bahoya linked up with Hugo Ekitike, who skillfully spun under pressure before delivering a precise pass for Bahoya to tap in at the near post.

Not content with a single goal, Mario Gotze doubled Frankfurt's lead with a well-timed run, receiving a long pass from Robin Koch. After controlling the ball with a single touch, Gotze lifted it over Ajax goalkeeper Matheus Magalhaes to make it 2-0. Rasmus Kristensen came close to extending the lead further with a powerful shot from outside the box, but Matheus managed to make a save. A deflected shot from Davy Klaassen and several hard strikes from Steven Berghuis late in the first half forced Frankfurt's goalkeeper Kaua Santos into action, but he handled them confidently.

Expectations were high that Ajax would respond strongly, but Frankfurt weathered their early pressure and restricted the Dutch side to long-range attempts. Even with a more defensive stance, Eintracht remained a dangerous counter-attacking force. Ekitike nearly added a third after 50 minutes, nearly finishing off a rapid counter-attack led by Ansgar Knauff.

Fifteen minutes later, Ekitike was rewarded for his excellent first-half display as he combined again with Bahoya. The Frenchman breezed past two defenders and calmly slotted the ball past Matheus, completing a fantastic individual effort.

Ajax substitute Kenneth Taylor briefly revived his team's hopes, scoring with a precise right-footed shot from the edge of the box into the bottom left corner. The goal sparked some late pressure from the visitors, with Mika Godts and Oliver Edvardsen both going close, but Gotze extinguished any chance of a comeback. The veteran midfielder seized on Matheus' decision to come off his line, chipping the ball from around 40 yards to seal the victory.

Knauff almost made it 5-1 near the end, but was denied in a one-on-one situation. Ultimately, Gotze's spectacular finish stood as the final goal of the tie, as Frankfurt comfortably advanced to face Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals. 

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