Eintracht Frankfurt Frauen experienced a significant setback in their European aspirations following a comprehensive 3-0 loss at home against Swedish club BK Häcken. This defeat occurred in the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup semi-final. Despite Niko Arnautis’ squad being the only team to have maintained a perfect winning record in all preceding rounds of this inaugural competition, they were unable to secure a positive result on home soil.
BK Häcken took the lead in the first half with a goal from Alva Selerud. The visitors then cemented their advantage in the second half through a double strike from the highly talented 18-year-old forward Felicia Schröder. Her two goals bring her impressive season tally to 40, solidifying her status as one of the most sought-after young talents in women’s football.
In the other semi-final encounter, fellow Damallsvenskan side Hammarby also achieved an away victory, defeating Sparta Prague 3-2 thanks to a crucial injury-time goal. These results set the stage for a potential all-Swedish final in the first-ever Women’s Europa Cup, should both Häcken and Hammarby successfully defend their leads in the upcoming return legs. It is noteworthy that Eintracht Frankfurt holds a place in European history as the inaugural winners of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, then known as the UEFA Women’s Cup, during the 2001/02 season.