LONDON — Son Heung-Mincurly brackets and Harry Kanepunishment of has given Tottenham Hotspur A very important thing Win 3-2 end Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday as Spurs go a long way toward reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Initially eliminated early against the defending Europa League champions thanks to a goal from Daichi KamadaSpurs regrouped after Son’s two goals, both scored either side of Kane’s penalty kick from the spot.
Frankfurt was reduced to 10 at the hour when defender Tuta sent off for a second card within minutes of two fouls on Son.
Faride AlidouGermany’s late header restored a goal for Germany from a corner, and Kane then missed a penalty in injury time, but Spurs won.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (US)
Victory helped Antonio Conte’s side pick up seven points in a tight race. Marseille and Sporting CP are getting six points, but Frankfurt is also still being hunted with four points with two matches remaining.
CLICK: Player Rating | Best/worst actor | Outstanding and remarkable moments | Quote postmatch | Key stats | Upcoming furniture
Rapid response
1. Son, Kane, Richarlison shine in victory
Son Heung-Min inspired Tottenham to a crucial 3-2 Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt on a night when Antonio Conte’s trio proved too hot for last season’s Europa League winners to handle. physical.
Son’s two goals and a Harry Kane penalty – England The captain blew the opportunity to make it 4-2 from the penalty spot when his second penalty hit the crossbar in the 90th minute – preserving the win over Frankfurt, who lost defender Tuta to a red card in the 61st minute. .
Frankfurt opened the scoring with Daichi Kamada in the 14th minute and then ensured a tense end to the game when substitute Faride Alidou headed the lead to make it 3-2 in the 87th minute, but Spurs did. enough to win the game and top the table. D thanks to the trio Son, Kane and Richarlison are in high form.
It was Kane who created Son’s opening goal before giving Spurs the lead. Son’s 36th-minute volley from Pierre-Emile HojbjergFrankfurt’s cross put the game ahead of Frankfurt, but while he didn’t score or assist any for Tottenham, Richarlison’s contribution was vitally important to his side. Antonio Conte. Before Everton in front of
And the space he opened up allowed Son and Kane to create more chances in the second half, with only the goalkeeper Kevin Trapp deny the home team a clear winning score. Kane, Son and Richarlison now have 16 goals this season, and while Kane has more than half of them (9), the collective strength of the Conte trio was evident against Frankfurt.
2. Conte should be pleased Spurs have not wavered
Football is full of clichés, and one of the stories that often airs is the story of Tottenham being a soft team and a team that always collapses when under pressure.
The old “Spursy” tag has faded in recent years, but under Antonio Conte it no longer applies, and we’ve seen evidence of that before Eintracht Frankfurt. When the Bundesliga side took the lead in the 14th minute thanks to Kamada, it seemed like bad news for Spurs to face a team that has won six of their past seven European away games. That run included wins at Barcelona and West Ham United on the way to winning the Europa League last season.
So Spurs have faced adversity against a team accustomed to winning on the road in Europe, and conceding early also put Tottenham’s Group D hopes in jeopardy. But Spurs weren’t panicking. In contrast, they kept their spirits up and equalized thanks to Son within six minutes of Frankfurt’s opening goal. Since that time, Spurs have taken control and they have produced a mature performance to eventually overtake a Frankfurt team built in their own image – three in the back and plenty of pace. in forward positions.
Spurs have had woes this season, including a 0-2 defeat to Sporting on day two and a defeat in the North London derby before Arsenalbut they are displaying the resilient qualities that Conte demands in his teams, and that makes Tottenham a threat to the top clubs in the Champions League this season.
3. Despite the victory, the group still managed to take it
Spurs took a major step towards qualifying for the knockout stages by beating Frankfurt and ending a five-match winless streak against rivals Germany in the Champions League, but Group D could still end with any team in the Champions League. No. 4 teams ranked first – or last.
With each team claiming at least one win so far, this is the tightest group of all eight groups this season and the table could be turned over on Thursday next week. Spurs face Sporting at home, after losing to the Portuguese in Lisbon, while Frankfurt will take on Marseille, needing to repeat their previous win at the Stade Velodrome to retain any hope of finishing in the top two.
All four teams in the group performed at their best and at their worst, so it would be foolish to predict how it will all turn out. But Spurs have put themselves in the helm, and they could qualify next week if they beat Sporting in London, leaving the rest vying for second place on Friday.
The good news is that all four sides have something to play with, so anything can still happen in Group D.
Player Rating
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris; Romero 6, Dier 6, Lenglet 7; Emerson 7, Hojbjerg 7, Bentancur 6, Sessegnon 7; Richarlison 8, Kane 8, Son 9.
Register: Skipp 6, Bissouma 6, Sanchez 6, Lucas Moura 6, Gil 6.
Eintracht Frankfurt: Trapp 7; Tuta 5, Hasebe 7, N’Dicka 6; Jakic 6, Rode 6, Sow 6, Lenz 6; Lindstrom 6, Kamada 7; Kolo Muani 6.
Register: Ebimbe 6, Smolcic 6, Alidou 7, Gotze 6, Borre 6.
Best and worst performers
BEST: Son Heung-Min, Tottenham Hotspur.
The Tottenham striker is sensitive and making his early season slump seem like a distant memory. When he’s at the top of his game, Son may not be able to play. He scored twice against Frankfurt and could have had a hat-trick.
WORKS: Tuta, Eintracht Frankfurt.
Down 3-1 and needing a disciplined display to have any hope of returning to the game, Tuta’s two yellow cards in the 61st minute were a blow to Eintracht. It left his team an unclimbed mountain.
Outstanding and remarkable moments
That superb volley from Son was one of the best goals of a memorable day in the Champions League.
Who will win Goal of the Week? ♂️#UCLGOTW || @Heineken || #UCL
– UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 12, 2022
Respect, @Eintracht pic.twitter.com/2y3nuKKj3U
– Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 12, 2022
Eintracht Frankfurt players lay wreaths in memory of Gian Piero Ventrone, Tottenham’s fitness coach passed away last week.
After the game: What the manager, the players say
Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min arrives at BT Sport, with his stunning second goal: “When the ball came to me, [Hojbjerg] saw me before crossing. I actually saw the ball very clearly and the only option was to catch the volley. I hit it really clean. I was very happy.”
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte on the win: “Everything is within our grasp, we have the possibility in the next game to experience a great achievement because this is our goal in the season, to go to the next stage of the Champions League. League.”
Key stats (powered by ESPN Stats & Info)
– Harry Kane has surpassed Steven Gerrard (21) for the fifth most goals in Champions League history among English players.
– Son Heung-Min has had 5 games in his career in the Champions League, but he has never scored a hat trick in the tournament.
Next
Tottenham Hotspur: Will continue to Everton
Eintracht Frankfurt: Bayer Leverkusen at home on Saturday in the Bundesliga match ahead of Stuttgarter Kickers’ away trip in a German Cup tie on Tuesday.
