The Spanish city of Seville,which is hosting the match,is bracing for pure carnage. It would be tough to find two clubs with more rabid,passionate fans than Rangers,whose supporters literally shook Ibrox to its foundations when they qualified over RB Leipzig and are renowned for leaving a trail of destruction wherever they go,and Eintracht,whose average home crowd of 48,000 makes them one of the world’s most followed teams. Each has been allocated only 10,000 tickets,but the expectation is that many,many more times that number will travel from Scotland and Germany,inundate the city’s watering holes,and square off on the streets.
“You’ve got two games in one,basically – one on the football pitch and one around the pitch,” Hrustic said.
“Our fans are a different level. You don’t get it around every corner,to be honest. Not every club is like this. It’s something I can explain and tell you about,but I think you’ve got to come across and live it yourself to really understand what it means. I’ve got goosebumps talking about it now,so it’s something big.”
In Germany’s Bundesliga,where the 50+1 rule ensures members will always have a say over their club’s affairs,teams such as Eintracht Frankfurt are the ultimate reflection of their communities. Hrustic admits they simply wouldn’t be where they are without their fans,whose vocal support he says has helped them win games at the death and overcome challenges that would otherwise seem insurmountable.
Undefeated throughout the Europa League so far,Eintracht have claimed the prized scalps of Olympiacos,Real Betis and Barcelona to stand on the cusp of footballing glory. At the famous Camp Nou for last month’s quarter-final,a ticketing quirk allowed their fans to buy up 30,000 seats. Spanish newspapers called it a “shameful invasion” of Barça’s hallowed turf.
“It’s a dream,” Hrustic said. “I was there,and I managed to step foot onto the pitch,and we had about 30,000 fans who travelled to Barcelona. After the game,half the stadium was dressed in white,and it wasour fans – in Barcelona. It was insane.”
Hrustic knows exactly what it feels like to commit your entire life to the beautiful game,just like they have. When he was 15,his parents sold their home in Melbourne to help finance his ambitions of a professional career in Europe.
Now he is the only Aussie seeing regular minutes in one of the world’s top five leagues – although as a bench player who has started only 10 games this season,it’s not quite as regular as he’d like.
Still,if he gets on the pitch against Rangers,he’ll be the first Australian male to feature in a major European final since Mark Schwarzer’s Fulham were beaten by Atlético Madrid in 2010.
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“My family have given up everything,” Hrustic said.
“Their friendships,their families,everything – even their home,where you sleep,eat,every day. That’s the biggest sacrifice,where you realise what they’ve done for me to get to this point,to play the Europa League final for now,or play in a World Cup. If I’m honest,it is the biggest moment of my career so far.”
Watch football’s biggest superstars in theUEFA Champions League,UEFA Europa League andUEFA Europa Conference League Finals this May on Stan Sport.Liverpool v Real Madrid in Champions League – ad-free,live and on demand on Stan Sport in 4K and 9GEM on Sunday 29 May from 4:30am AEST.Frankfurt v Rangers in the Europa League Final (May 19) andRoma v Feyenoord in the Conference League Final (May 26) – all matches streaming ad-free,live and on demand,only onStan Sport from 4:30am AEST.