After the final whistle, the dimensions of this crazy journey from Frankfurt to Barcelona finally become clear.

It's well after 11 p.m., and the local football fans have long since left their stadium disappointed when only those who sympathize with Eintracht Frankfurt remain in the huge Camp Nou stadium.

"Oh Eintracht Frankfurt", "Europe's best team" and "Oh, how nice it is": These are the powerful voices that echo from the throats of thousands of men and women in white tops, who are now mainly in the guest block, but also in many other areas of the arena and celebrate themselves and their team.

Some would slap their hands over their faces in disbelief at their Eintracht's 3-2 win over the greats FC Barcelona in this cathedral of football.

Others shout their happiness into the clear Spanish night sky.

Daniel Schleidt

Coordinator of the economics department in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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Officially, there were 5,000 tickets as a guest contingent from FC Barcelona for the block at the top of fourth place, where the Eintracht fans are now cheering for their team behind high Plexiglas panes on the distant lawn.

But overall, and this is becoming impressively clear at the latest, many more have come to the city and to the largest football stadium in Europe to see their heart team there in the second leg of the Europa League.

The club speaks of 25,000 Hessians, in truth it must have been more than 35,000.

They witnessed something in the Catalonian capital on Thursday that will go down in the history of Eintracht Frankfurt's greatest moments, that's for sure.

"Yesterday at the time I didn't know that I would be standing here now"

It's half past twelve on Thursday afternoon when Patrick and Martin Kraus order two large Estrella at a bar table in the Bokeh Bar.

They landed in Barcelona just over an hour ago and their decision was pretty spontaneous.

"Yesterday at the time I didn't know that I would be standing here now," says Patrick.

The night before he had called his father Martin to persuade him to take a short trip with an overnight stay.

Dad was skeptical, "I'm 60, I can't do it anymore," he said - and then he went along: "I just had to."

And even now, eight hours before the start of the game, father and son have not regretted the trip.

The Mercat de la Boqueria market hall on the famous La Ramblas is firmly in Frankfurt hands: The Hessians enjoy fish, croquetas in bags and paella from plastic bowls.

The active fan scene had issued the motto "All in white", and in fact everything between the stands and outside in the small bars is dipped in this color.

Patrick and Martin high-five an acquaintance here, talk to friends there about the magic of this trip.

Of course, they didn't have tickets for the stadium when they booked the flights the night before.

And even if almost 100,000 people fit into the legendary Camp Nou: FC Barcelona did not allow customers from Germany to order more tickets than the guest contingent.

But like thousands of others, father Martin and son Patrick found a way: while they were still at the airport, they called the concierge of their hotel, who, being Spaniards, ordered the tickets for them.