The last game of this Europa League season will be the first that many remember at FC Barcelona.

The fact that the big club from Catalonia takes part in the second-rate competition is extraordinary anyway.

That he fails in the quarterfinals at Eintracht Frankfurt is even more remarkable.

And that Barça would then also have an away game in their own stadium, hardly anyone could have imagined.

Because Barcelona has not only written the motto "More than a club" on the flags, but also on the seat shells.

However, it was mainly Frankfurters who sat there.

Although that is not entirely correct: Eintracht fans stood for most of the time.

Tobias Rabe

Responsible editor for Sport Online.

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Around 30,000 of them had bought tickets for the largest stadium in Europe.

A total of almost 80,000 spectators were there on Thursday evening.

Officially, only 5,000 tickets went to Eintracht, as stipulated in the rules of the European Football Union as the organizer of the competition.

But how did it come about that so many Frankfurters were live in the stadium.

Board member Axel Hellmann said: "FC Barcelona is not to blame.

Our fans are the most creative when it comes to getting tickets any way they can.

It was and always will be.”

The day after, the Spanish media speculated that many tickets for German spectators probably came from resales by Spaniards, who did not necessarily want to go to the game and sensed a deal from the sale of their tickets.

In addition, the Frankfurters must have tried everything on site to be part of this special game.

It was easier on site because, unlike online purchases from Germany, it was not clear who came from where.

“There are a few negative voices like: How can that be?

It was the case that our fans got tickets through all channels - up until the moment before the game.

You can't see that as a club," said Hellmann.

Nevertheless, the anger at FC Barcelona is immense - not only because of the elimination through the 3-2 victory of Eintracht, but rather because of the thousands of loud support from the guests.

The Catalan club's particularly passionate supporters even left their seats behind the goal at half-time and only returned ten minutes after the restart - in protest at their club's failure to get into the stadium, mostly to local spectators supporting FC Barcelona bring to.

Club president Joan Laporta then apologized.

"I am ashamed and apologize.

This will never happen again.

We have information about what happened," he said in a statement on the club's website, without giving any details.

"It's outrageous and shameful, a shame.

We will act and explain that.” Coach Xavi was also annoyed.

The fact that so many Frankfurt fans were in the stadium was "a planning error," he said.

"This is disappointing.

We want to know what happened.

If we play at home, that can't happen."

The Spanish press also targeted the club because of the audience distribution.

"It is absolutely unacceptable, no matter how you look at it, that in a European game where Barça are playing for a place in the semi-finals, the Camp Nou becomes a pressure cooker - but for the opposing team," wrote the Sport newspaper.

The club and its members have to do some serious self-examination.

"What happened at the stadium last night must never happen again!" "Marca" wrote: "Big mistake by Barça that there were so many rival fans in such an important game."

The newspaper "AS" also began to criticize harshly: "Sunk at home.

Barcelona played like a stranger at home and missed the best option of winning a title.

Not only did they fail in sport, which can happen, but even worse was the shame as a club when Barça's stadium became the Waldstadion, with more Germans than Catalans and the feeling of being a stranger in your own homeland," wrote the paper on Good Friday.

"It's a historic situation where Barcelona were the first club to play the first two rounds in the opposing field."

The Frankfurters didn't really care about all the polemics.

They enjoyed their club's coup in Catalonia.

Tens of thousands partied late into the night in Barcelona if they didn't already travel back straight away.

The mostly white-clad supporters – who looked like the supporters of Barcelona's arch-rivals Real Madrid – lingered at the legendary Camp Nou until just before midnight.

After that, most of the fans headed back towards the city center, where there had been singing and celebrations all Thursday.

Barca, on the other hand, not only have to lick administrative and emotional wounds, but also overcome the sporting pain.

As relegated from the Champions League and lagging behind Real in the Spanish championship, it should at least be enough for the Europa League title.

Nothing will come of it now.

The team also lost their young star Pedri.

He seriously injured his left rear thigh, as the club announced on Friday.

The 19-year-old great talent may be out for the rest of the season.