Tottenham needs to put in more effort to make it to the Europa League semi-finals after they played to a 1-1 draw at home against Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their last-eight match.
Manager Ange Postecoglou saw his team fall behind in the sixth minute with a great long-range goal by Hugo Ekitike, but Pedro Porro managed to equalize with a fantastic back-heel finish in the first half.
After the break, Tottenham increased their attacking pressure, hitting the woodwork through Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur, while Frankfurt's back-up goalkeeper Kaua Santos made crucial saves to deny Son Heung-min, James Maddison, and Micky van de Ven. This leaves the second leg finely balanced for next Thursday's clash in Germany.
This marked Tottenham's first European quarter-final since 2019. However, their challenging season in the domestic league has put extra pressure on them in this two-legged tie. Postecoglou had expressed concerns earlier that even winning this competition might not secure his job.
The match didn't start well for Spurs as Frankfurt scored in the sixth minute, delighting their energetic away supporters. Ekitike's goal came after a swift counter-attack following a loss of possession by Maddison to Ellyes Skhiri.
Spurs had to defend two quick corners shortly after the goal, but they gradually regained composure. They created some danger through crosses by Son and Dominic Solanke, providing some excitement for the home fans.
An equalizer was needed to ignite Tottenham, and it came from an unexpected source in the 26th minute. A clever back-heel finish by Porro, set up by Maddison, leveled the score and brought jubilation to the home fans.
Despite some promising attacking moves, including a shot against the crossbar by Bergvall, Tottenham couldn't find the winning goal. A series of opportunities, including a header by Bentancur that hit the crossbar, were denied by the Frankfurt defense.
As the match progressed, both teams had chances to score, but the goalkeepers stood tall. Even in stoppage time, Tottenham's attempt to secure a late winner was thwarted by Kaua's impressive save from Van de Ven's header.