Europa League: All square in London as Tottenham share spoils with Frankfurt

Tottenham Hotspur were held to a 1-1 draw by Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final, with Pedro Porro cancelling out Hugo Ekitike’s early opener in north London. 

Ange Postecoglou’s side dominated large spells and struck the woodwork twice, but could not find a winner to take with them to Germany next week.

The result leaves the tie finely poised ahead of the return leg at Deutsche Bank Park on Thursday, April 17.

Tottenham fell behind after just six minutes when James Maddison lost possession in midfield, and the visitors countered decisively.

 Ellyes Skhiri played in Hugo Ekitike, who cut inside from the left and rifled a clinical finish into the far corner beyond Guglielmo Vicario.

The hosts responded well and, after sustained pressure, found an equaliser in the 26th minute. 

Maddison combined with Dominic Solanke on the edge of the area, before rolling the ball across for Pedro Porro, whose delicate backheel flick beat Kauã Santos from close range.

Spurs pushed for a second after the interval, with Lucas Bergvall striking the crossbar from distance and Rodrigo Bentancur heading another effort off the woodwork. Heung-Min Son and Maddison also forced saves from Santos as Tottenham turned the screw.

Eintracht Frankfurt remained dangerous on the break, with Jean Bahoya and Ekitike both spurning chances to restore their lead. 

In the dying seconds, Micky van de Ven’s looping header was tipped over brilliantly by Santos to preserve parity.

The visitors will feel satisfied with their results and performances, while the Spurs will rue their missed opportunities in an entertaining, end-to-end European contest.

For Spurs to have any chance of securing a spot in the last four, they must look to improve their game play at the second leg in Germany. They still have a chance to salvage their campaign by aiming towards winning the Europa League.