Kounde headers give Barcelona 2-1 win over Frankfurt

(Corrects Yamal's age, 12th paragraph)

BARCELONA, Dec 9 : Jules Kounde's quickfire brace of headers helped Barcelona to fight back to edge past Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 in the Champions League at Camp Nou on Tuesday, marking a much-needed win for the Catalan side.

After a draw against Club Brugge and a loss to Chelsea, Barcelona found their stride to climb to 14th in the standings, level on 10 points with several teams, as they aim for a top-eight finish to secure direct qualification for the last 16. Frankfurt are 30th with four points from six matches.

Frankfurt struck first in the 21st minute through Ansgar Knauff on the counter but Barca's persistence paid off when Kounde scored twice early in the second half.

In the 50th minute he nodded home from just inside the box from Marcus Rashford's cross and, in the 53rd, the French defender jumped high in a crowded box to head the winner from a Lamine Yamal cross.

"They have made it difficult for us. They sat very deep, had a lot of players on the back, which makes it tough, Lamine Yamal had two or three players on him all the time," Pedri told Movistar Plus.

"We made some adjustments at halftime, put more players up front and it worked out, we felt better and found the goals. Kounde is a guy who works hard and deserves it. We're happy with the result."

In front of an animated Camp Nou crowd – its first Champions League fixture since partially reopening after two-and-a-half years of redevelopment – Barcelona started in control of possession.

Robert Lewandowski thought he had netted the opener in the ninth minute, only to see his close-range strike ruled out for offside in the build-up.

However, it was Frankfurt who seized the initiative in the 21st minute, exploiting Barcelona's