Tottenham qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League with a deserved 2-0 victory at already-eliminated Eintracht Frankfurt as Randal Kolo Muani scored just a day after a minor car accident.
A tyre blowout on Tuesday delayed Kolo Muani’s arrival in Germany, but the forward overcame the incident to hit an opener against his former side just 65 seconds after half-time.
Substitute Dominic Solanke’s 77th-minute strike made the victory safe to secure a fourth-placed finish, which gives Spurs second-leg home advantage in the last 16 and quarter-finals.
Dominic Solanke celebrates after doubling Spurs lead
Tottenham will face either Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge or Galatasaray in the round of 16.
Tottenham’s European form is in stark contrast to their domestic struggles, with Thomas Frank’s side sitting 14th in the Premier League and eight points above the drop zone.
It is deja vu for Spurs after lifting the Europa League last season amid a 17th-placed Premier League finish.
Spurs won at Frankfurt last April on the way to Europa League glory, and it once again proved to be a happy hunting ground as they dominated throughout to avoid next month’s two-legged knockout play-off, which will be a huge relief to Frank amid an injury crisis.
Frank hails ‘incredible’ achievement
With 14 players unavailable for the trip to Frankfurt, a depleted Spurs side put Saturday’s disappointing 2-2 draw at Burnley behind them to relieve some pressure on Frank once again, like last week’s Champions League home win over Borussia Dortmund did.
A dominant display in Germany, which saw Spurs have 15 shots, will give Frank’s side some confidence ahead of Sunday’s Premier League home game against Manchester City, live on Sky Sports.
Sunday 1st February 4:00pm
Kick off 4:30pm
He said at his post-match press conference: “To actually finish fourth in the Champions League is incredible, 17 points, so there are a lot of positives.
“I think very happy with the result, but even more happy with the performance. I think we looked in control more or less throughout the game.
“I am very proud of the players and the character shown. Dortmund and this game had 12 outfield players available, so a lot of players had to push through 90 minutes, maybe not being there, so the character and mentality is big in the team.
“A more than well-deserved 2-0 win, away from home, in the Champions League.”
He added: “We have just changed the system to the 3-4-3, so the last three games we played i,t so it will only get better and better.
“I actually think our performances now in 10 games have been better and better and better. We haven’t got all the results we wanted, but the last three games were very positive and that is what we have to build on.
“We are working very, very hard and it is nice the result and performance show the bits we are working on, it’s getting closer and closer. Now we need to be even more consistent and even turn those games to more wins going forward.”
Frank: Never any doubt Kolo Muani would not play
Randal Kolo Muani scored his third Spurs goal in the win at Frankfurt
Frank also revealed there were never any doubts that Kolo Muani would not play following his minor car accident.
“He was ready,” Frank said. “If there was any doubt that he couldn’t play, then we wouldn’t have done it, but he was fine.
“There was no physical or mental aspect from the accident.
“I was very happy that he scored the goal. He looked like a threat. He was heavily involved in the disallowed goal [Xavi Simons’ in the third minute]. He had great actions throughout the game.
“I’m very happy he got the goal, and I asked him, ‘Please start scoring against teams other than [just] your former clubs’.
“But we know when you come to a new club and new country, it’s never straightforward – and never in the Premier League. I hope it can give him some confidence.”
When is the draw for the last 16?
The draw for the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals takes place on February 27.
When are the knockout stages?
Knockout play-offs: February 17-18 and 24-25
Round of 16: March 10-11 and 17-18
Quarter-finals: April 7-8 and 14-15
Semi-finals: April 28-29 and May 5-6
Final: May 30 (Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary)
Opta stats: Only rivals Arsenal boast better set-piece record than Spurs
Fifty per cent of Tottenham’s last six goals in all competitions have been via set pieces (2x corner, 1x free kick), while only Arsenal (26) have scored more set-piece goals than Spurs among Premier League sides across all competitions this season since the FIFA Club World Cup (20).Tottenham have scored the opening goal in each of their last five Champions League games, with this their longest ever streak across the European Cup.Tottenham Guglielmo Vicario kept the most clean sheets of any goalkeeper in this season’s Champions League group stage (6), while it’s the most shutouts of any Spurs goalkeeper across a single season in the competition.Cristian Romero has been directly involved in nine goals for Tottenham Hotspur across all competitions this season (6 goals, 3 assists), as many goal contributions as he managed in his first four campaigns for Spurs combined.
