Tottenham Hotspur had to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to Eintracht Frankfurt in a lively first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal on Thursday, with Pedro Porro cancelling out the visitors' early opener by Hugo Ekitike.
Eintracht took a sixth-minute lead through striker Ekitike, who slotted home from outside the box into the bottom right corner, before Porro levelled for Tottenham 20 minutes later, flicking the ball in with a smooth finish from close range.
"Next week will probably be the biggest game of the season," Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall said of the return leg next Thursday.
"We go there for confidence, try to play like we did in the second half, and hopefully score more than them."
For Tottenham, who are 14th in the Premier League with seven rounds to go in a largely disappointing domestic season, winning the competition is their only remaining pathway to European action next season.
Eintracht, the 2022 winners, are still well-placed to earn Champions League qualification via the Bundesliga standings where they are currently third, two points above fourth-placed Mainz.
The German side, playing in their first European quarterfinal since lifting the trophy, took a quick lead after Ellyes Skhiri won a duel with James Maddison and immediately sent the ball out to the left flank.
From there, the well-positioned Ekitike dribbled his way up to the edge of the area before scoring low past Tottenham keeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Hugo Ekitike hits 2️⃣0️⃣ goals for Frankfurt in 2024/25 💪
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How much is he worth in the current transfer market? 🤑💰
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"I just took the ball and believed I could score from that position," Ekitike said.
"I think it was a good goal but I wish I could have managed to help the team more."
Tottenham, aiming to reach the last four of a European competition for the first time since their run to the 2019 Champions League final, equalised in the 26th minute through defender Porro.
Dominic Solanke played Maddison into the box from the left and the midfielder set up Porro for a first-time finish.
Ekitike should have restored the lead for the visitors just before the interval when he struck low from the edge of the box but Vicario easily saved his weak shot.
Tottenham, who finished fourth in the league phase one point above Eintracht, continued to have more possession after the break and Bergvall came close to putting Tottenham in front with a stunning shot from a distance.
However, the Swedish midfielder hit the woodwork. Rodrigo Bentancur did the same two minutes later and Eintracht goalkeeper Kaua Santos denied Maddison from close range just before the hour mark.
Brennan Johnson misfired a great chance from near the penalty spot in the dying minutes.
The winners after the second leg will face either Lazio or Norway's Bodo/Glimt for a spot in the final in Bilbao. Bodo won the first leg 2-0 earlier on Thursday.