Hope is not lost for Ange Postecoglou. On another night, the Tottenham manager might have been celebrating a wonder goal from the outstanding Lucas Bergvall as his side looked forward to next week’s second leg in Germany with a healthy advantage.
But it is a reflection of how things have been going for Postecoglou that somehow Spurs did not manage to win this game after conceding an early goal to Hugo Ekitiké. Despite Bergvall’s best efforts as the 19-year-old covered every blade of grass for the cause in a performance that belied his age, they could not build on Pedro Porro’s well-taken equaliser as Eintracht Frankfurt held on for a draw that will probably make them favourites to progress to the semi-finals.
Yet after all the bitterness of recent weeks, at least this was a positive performance from Tottenham that keeps alive their manager’s hopes of ending the season with silverware and keeping his job.
Postecoglou had bristled at suggestions that he could be sacked even if Spurs end up winning this competition for the third time in their history and insisted that his players would have the right mindset to face challenging opponents despite the pressure on his shoulders. But there was still not much optimism to be found among a fanbase that has become so used to disappointment in recent years.
Frankfurt were beaten by Werder Bremen at the weekend but – thanks in large part to Omar Marmoush’s 15 goals before he joined Manchester City in January – they are third in the Bundesliga and still look set to qualify for the Champions League next season. While Tottenham’s successes in 1972 and 1984 date back to its predecessor the Uefa Cup, Dino Toppmöller’s side also have serious pedigree at this level having triumphed under Oliver Glasner – who was linked to a potential move across London to replace Postecoglou this week – in 2022.
Their vociferous travelling support did not have to wait long for something to celebrate. Much has been made of Tottenham’s injuries at the back this season but with their first-choice defence available again and Rodrigo Bentancur back to bolster midfield after suspension, it was all too easy for Frankfurt to cut through in the sixth minute when Ellyes Skhiri won the ball from James Maddison. Ekitiké scored a brilliant hat-trick for France against England’s Under-21s last month and is expected to attract interest from Arsenal and Liverpool among others in the summer. On this evidence, the 22-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain striker could be a shrewd investment as he cut in from the left flank and shrugged off challenges from Pedro Porro and Cristian Romero before shooting into the corner.
Maddison made up for his discretion by supplying the pass that set up Porro for his equaliser after Spurs had initially struggled to mount a response. The Spaniard’s improvised backheel after good work from Dominic Solanke in the buildup finally brought the home fans to life. Frankfurt’s low block made it hard to penetrate further, however, and Ekitiké could easily have scored his second of the night had he capitalised on a slip from Porro on the stroke of half-time, only to shoot straight at Guglielmo Vicario.
The Tottenham defence were almost caught napping again at the start of the second half when Frankfurt found space down the right after a flowing move involving Germany’s 2014 World Cup hero Mario Götze. But the energetic Bergvall – 13 years his junior – sprinted back to clear the danger just in time. The Swedish teenager had been by far Tottenham’s most creative player and he was desperately unlucky to see his shot from 30 yards swerve on to the angle of crossbar and post.
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That proved to be the spark for Spurs as Son Heung-min forced Kauã Santos into his first significant save of the evening before Bentancur’s header from the resulting corner came back off the woodwork. The Frankfurt goalkeeper then did well to keep out Maddison’s effort following a swivel inside the area. Jean-Mattéo Bahoya spooned over at the other end after a quick break from Ekitiké again caused alarm in the Spurs ranks.
Postecoglou prowled his technical area as Tottenham went in search of a winner, although it was a surprise to see him wait until the 79th minute before making a triple substitution. A combination of Mathys Tel and Djed Spence set up Brennan Johnson for their best chance but his effort was way off target and Postecoglou could not hide his disappointment, while Micky van de Ven also saw his header strike the crossbar in injury time. It just wasn’t quite Postecoglou’s night.