Tottenham Hotspur gave under-pressure manager Ange Postecoglou some much needed respite as they beat Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 in Germany to reach the Europa League semifinals.
Postecoglou made only one change to the side that had drawn 1-1 against Frankfurt in the first leg, with injured captain Heung-Min Son making way for Mathys Tel.
The decisive moment of the game came late in the first half, when Eintracht Frankfurt keeper Kaua Santos clattered into James Maddison in the box. VAR intervened and on-field referee Davide Massa pointed to the spot after taking a look at the replay on the sidelines.
Santos dived right, but Dominic Solanke sent his penalty straight down the middle to give Spurs a 1-0 lead. Cristian Romero headed wide from a corner and Spurs keeper Vicario made an excellent save to deny Frankfurt’s Chaibi as the game remained 1-0 at the full-time whistle, with the Lilywhites progressing 2-1 on aggregate.
The winner of the UEL gets Champions League football next season, and with Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt as their semi-final opponents, Spurs will definitely fancy their chances of reaching the final.
Bodo/Glimt upset Italian side Lazio on penalties in their quarterfinal, and there’s a possibility of an all-English final, with Man United up against Athletic Bilbao in the other last four clash.
