Marcus Rashford came off the bench for Barcelona on Tuesday night as the Catalan giants beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 at the Camp Nou in the Champions League
Marcus Rashford made a game-changing appearance from the bench for Barcelona on Tuesday night, helping his side secure a win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League. Frankfurt initially took a surprise lead at the Camp Nou against Hansi Flick's side, thanks to a goal from Ansgar Knauff.
However, Rashford, who is currently on loan from Manchester United, turned the tide after being introduced at half-time. His cross was met by Jules Kounde, who scored to put Barcelona in front.
Kounde then added another goal just three minutes later, securing Barcelona's victory. The win earned the five-time European champions three points, taking their total to 10 and putting them in a strong position to secure a top-eight spot that would guarantee progression to the last 16.
Rashford's performance was lauded by Spanish media outlets. Here's what they had to say.
Marca
Marca awarded Rashford two out of three stars for his performance. They wrote: "Raphinha fired over the bar after a Rashford pass.
"The second half couldn't have started more excitingly, and things only got more intense when Koundé headed home a great Rashford cross to level the score. The goal completely changed the game. The crowd spurred their team on, while Eintracht began to feel vulnerable."
Mundo Deportivo
Mundo Deportivo hailed Rashford's performance as "influential". They said: "He proved Flick right by immediately shaking up Barça's offensive method, generating two goal-scoring opportunities: one was not and the other was after an anthological cross for the 1-1."
The publication added: "A Barcelona side with plenty of possession but lacking ideas needed, yet again, a comeback. Raphinha, who in the first half had occasionally moved to the right, switching positions with Lamine Yamal, or through the middle, settled permanently inside, and Rashford came on, bringing a spark to shake things up.
"If Flick was looking to Rashford for a solution, he wasn't wrong. After an initial run down the wing and a cutback to Raphinha, when he could have finished himself, a beautiful and precise cross came into the box, where Koundé headed it in perfectly."
SPORT
SPORT were less than impressed with Barcelona's overall performance, but they did single out Rashford for praise. They said: "Marcus Rashford deserves a special mention.
"He was signed for this purpose: to shake things up for games that are stuck in a rut, to offer something different. Flick saw that the team needed a different kind of attacking player to create danger and he responded perfectly."
Post-match, Rashford shared his excitement at playing a Champions League match in the Camp Nou for the first time. He stated: "I'm enjoying it very much and looking forward to playing as much as I can.
"We're in a position where it was important we got the points so this is a good day and now we rest and try to improve.
"The most important thing was to win and I'm very happy we managed to do that. I thought we played quite well and controlled the game. They scored at an unexpected time but we reacted well and managed to get the goals without changing too much."