Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League quarter-final first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt ended in a frustrating 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, leaving manager Ange Postecoglou visibly exasperated and lamenting that the “football gods have their eyes elsewhere.” Spurs, desperate for a trophy to salvage a faltering season, dominated much of the match but were left to rue a series of near-misses that could have secured a vital lead heading into the second leg in Germany.
The match started poorly for Tottenham, with Hugo Ekitiké capitalizing on a swift Frankfurt move to fire a low strike past Guglielmo Vicario in the sixth minute. Spurs responded with intent, and Pedro Porro leveled the score 20 minutes later with a clever flick from close range after a pinpoint James Maddison pass. The second half saw Tottenham pile on the pressure, hitting the crossbar twice through Lucas Bergvall’s long-range effort and Rodrigo Bentancur’s header. Frankfurt’s stand-in goalkeeper, Kaua Santos, produced a string of stunning saves to deny Son Heung-min, Maddison, and a late Micky van de Ven header that seemed destined for the net.
Postecoglou’s frustration was palpable in his post-match comments. “We did everything but win it,” he said, shaking his head. “The lads gave it all, hit the woodwork, forced their keeper into world-class saves. Sometimes it feels like the football gods just aren’t watching us.” Despite the setback, he remained defiant about the return leg, adding, “We’ll take that performance to Frankfurt and give it a right go.”
The draw leaves the tie finely balanced, but Tottenham’s wastefulness could haunt them at Deutsche Bank Park, where Frankfurt’s fervent home support will make life difficult. The Bundesliga side, sitting third in their domestic league, showed resilience despite losing star striker Omar Marmoush to Manchester City earlier this year. Manager Dino Toppmoller praised his team’s grit, saying, “We weathered a storm tonight. At home, we’ll be ready to push them hard.”