A first-half penalty from Dominic Solanke was enough to secure Tottenham Hotspur’s place in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals, as they overcame Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 at Deutsche Bank Park on Thursday night. The victory ended Frankfurt’s impressive 12-match unbeaten run in the competition and marked Spurs’ first appearance in a UEFA semi-final since 2019.
Despite playing away from home, Tottenham weathered an early storm from the hosts. Eintracht Frankfurt created the first significant chance when a long 70-yard pass from Kaua Santos found Hugo Ekitike in behind the Spurs defence. However, a crucial intervention from Micky van de Ven prevented the Eagles’ top scorer from getting a clean shot on goal.
As the first half progressed, Tottenham grew into the game and began to create opportunities of their own. Mathys Tel forced a good save from a full-stretch Santos with a curling effort. The breakthrough for Spurs came after Santos was adjudged to have clattered into James Maddison inside the Frankfurt penalty area.
Dominic Solanke stepped up to take the responsibility from the spot and calmly slotted the ball into the middle of the net, ending his own 11-match goalless streak in the process.
Knowing they needed to keep a clean sheet at the usually prolific Deutsche Bank Park � a feat no other visiting team had achieved this season � Tottenham faced a determined Frankfurt side after the break. The home team almost found an equalizer early in the second half when Fares Chaibi’s free-kick skimmed just past the post.
However, Spurs continued to pose a threat on the counter-attack. Cristian Romero came close to extending their lead, heading inches wide from a Pedro Porro corner.
As the clock ticked down, Frankfurt piled on the pressure in search of an equalizing goal. Chaibi thought he had found the breakthrough with a close-range shot, but Guglielmo Vicario produced a fantastic reaction save to deny the hosts.
Despite a flurry of late opportunities for Dino Toppmoller’s side, Tottenham’s defence held firm, ensuring Solanke’s first-half penalty proved to be the decisive moment. The victory sees Tottenham advance to the Europa League semi-finals, keeping their hopes of winning their first European title since 1984 alive, while Eintracht Frankfurt’s aspirations of lifting a third Europa League trophy came to an end. The result also ended Tottenham’s four-match losing streak away from home.
