Barcelona 2-1 Eintracht: Koundé engineers another comeback to get closer to the Champions TOP-8

On the return of the UEFA Champions League to Spotify Camp Nou, FC Barcelona completed another comeback, the fourth consecutive (third at home) to defeat a combative Eintracht Frankfurt (2-1). This time, Jules Koundé was the unexpected hero for the blaugrana team.

Hansi Flick made three changes compared to his lineup for the match against Betis. Fermín López, Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski returned to the attack in place of Marcus Rashford, Roony Bardghji, and Ferran Torres. 

In the first half,  Ansgar Knauff put the Germans ahead in the 21st minute after finishing off a perfect counter-attack. A lead that remained until halftime in favor of Dino Toppmöller's team.

In the second half, a brace of headers from Jules Koundé awakened a Barça side that found an aerial solution to a very tight match, where the team showed a reaction, not immediate, but timely enough to secure 3 vital points to get closer to the TOP-8 in the standings.

Eintracht Drew First Blood at the Camp Nou

Barça cornered Eintracht in their half from the start. **Lewandowski** scored in the 5th minute, but the goal was disallowed for a previous offside by Fermín. **Gerard Martín**, settled as a left-sided center-back, tested Zetterer's reflexes in the 13th minute with a powerful long-range shot that the German goalkeeper deflected for a cornerDespite Barça's dominance in the opening minutes, Eintracht struck first against a Barça side that, for the fifth consecutive match, found themselves trailing from the start. A lethal counter-attack by the Germans, orchestrated by full-back Brown and finished with a notable strike from **Ansgar Knauff**.

The '7', who had also scored against the Blaugrana team in 2022, outpaced Balde to get in front of Joan García and finish with a shot into the far corner. Flick's men tried to react immediately, with a run by Koundé down the right and a shot by Fermín inside the box, which was blocked by Skhiri.However, Barça was much more sluggish than usual in their play, lacking depth on the wings with Lamine and Raphinha and with Pedri well guarded by constant double marking. Furthermore, there were several interruptions caused by the physical play imposed by the opponentSkhiri, before the discount, came close to 0-2 with a slightly high shot from the edge of the box, after a back pass from Knauff, the most dangerous player in the white attack. Lewandowski, with a header, tried it in the discount, without luck after a free kick served by Rapinha.

Koundé, the Unexpected Hero for Barça's Comeback

Jules Koundé scoring with his head against Eintracht

At halftime, Flick brought on Marcus Rashford for Fermín, moving Raphinha to the middle. The player from Huelva didn't have a good night in his return to the starting XI, showing a lack of rhythm after a week and a half out due to a soleus injury.

Eintracht came close in the opening minutes of the second half, but Barcelona equalized with a Koundé screamer. In the 49th minute, the Frenchman surprised the German defense by entering as a '9' to head a perfect cross from Rashford on the left.

Skhiri's shot against the crossbar once again worried the Blaugrana defense, but the match was already much more open and, in the 52nd minute, **another cross from Lamine Yamal found Koundé's head** to seal the comeback. The Frenchman once again surprised the visiting defense, entering behind the center-backs to head a falling ball that seemed to pose little danger.

Barça maintained the difference to add 3 vital points

Rashford came close to extending the lead in the 59th minute after a pass from Lewandowski, but Theate arrived in time to deflect the Englishman's shot one-on-one against Zetterer. With half an hour left, Flick refreshed the lineup with the introduction of **Ferran Torres and Frenkie de Jong** for Lewandowski and Raphinha.

The team, in the final stretch, lost freshness and depth, but did what was necessary to control possession and manage the minimal lead without too much trouble at the back. In the final minutes, Roony Bardghji and Christensen also came on for Lamine and Balde, with a Barça clearly exhausted from the wear and tear of recent matches.

With the victory against Eintracht and Tuesday's results, Barça momentarily moved up to 14th place in the standings, with 10 points and a +3 goal difference. The rest of matchday 6, the last of 2025, will be played on Wednesday. In January, they still have to visit Slavia Prague and host Copenhagen to close out the group stage

Match Report: FC Barcelona 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt

• FC Barcelona, 2: Joan García, Koundé, Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Balde (Christensen, min. 87); Eric García, Pedri; Fermín (Rashford, min. 46), Lamine Yamal (Roony, min. 88), Raphinha (Frenkie, min. 65); Lewandowski (Ferran, min. 65),
• Eintracht Frankfurt, 1: Zetterer; Kristensen, Koch, Theate, Brown; Doan, Laarson (Dahoud, min. 67), Chaïbi (Bahoya, min. 77), Skhiri; Götze (Uzun, min. 77) y Knauff (Wahi, min. 67).
• Goals: 0-1, Ansgar Knauff (min. 21); 1-1, Jules Koundé (min. 49); 2-1, Jules Koundé (min. 52)
• Referee: Davide Massa (Italy). He cautioned Ansgar Knauff for Eintracht. For Barça, he warned Lamine Yamal and Gerard Martín.
• Stadium: Spotify Camp Nou.
• Incidents: match corresponding to matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26.