Spurs Held by Frankfurt as Goalkeeper Heroics Keep Europa League Tie Level

Tottenham's hopes of reaching the Europa League semifinals remain in the balance after a 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt in their quarterfinal first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The German side stunned the home crowd early when Hugo Ekitike fired a superb 22-yard strike into the bottom corner after just six minutes. The goal came from a swift counter-attack following James Maddison's loss of possession to Ellyes Skhiri.

Spurs equalized in the 26th minute through an inventive finish from Pedro Porro, who brilliantly back-heeled the ball into the net after good combination play between Son Heung-min, Dominic Solanke, and Maddison.

The second half saw Tottenham dominate proceedings but struggle to find a winner despite creating several clear opportunities. Young Swedish midfielder Lucas Bergvall struck the crossbar with a powerful drive, while Rodrigo Bentancur also hit the woodwork with a header from a corner.

Frankfurt's backup goalkeeper Kaua Santos emerged as the visitors' hero, making crucial saves to deny Son, Maddison, and a stoppage-time header from Micky van de Ven that seemed destined for the net.

This European quarterfinal represents a significant opportunity for Ange Postecoglou amid a challenging domestic campaign. The Australian manager had suggested before the match that even winning the Europa League might not be enough to secure his position, highlighting the pressure surrounding the club.

The result leaves the tie finely balanced heading into next Thursday's second leg in Germany. Tottenham will need to improve their finishing to progress to their first European semifinal since reaching the Champions League final in 2019.

Frankfurt, who won this competition in 2022 under its previous name (the Europa League), demonstrated their counter-attacking threat throughout and will fancy their chances of advancing with home advantage in the return fixture at Deutsche Bank Park.