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Destiny Udogie justifies bold Ange Postecoglou Tottenham call as clear one

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Destiny Udogie justifies bold Ange Postecoglou Tottenham call as clear one-word message sent - Football London
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Tottenham produced an excellent performance away at Eintracht Frankfurt to seal a spot in the Europa League semi-finals. Ange Postecoglou's side headed to Germany at a slight disadvantage having drawn 1-1 in the first leg at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Following on from a 4-2 defeat to Wolves, optimism was not high and there was certainly some annoyance that Djed Spence was not in the starting XI.

Injuries in defence has seen the 24-year-old regularly feature in 2025 and he has arguably been one of Spurs' better performers alongside Lucas Bergvall. However, his absence was quickly forgotten when Dominic Solanke opened the scoring from the penalty spot on half time.

The Lilywhites then showed off their defensive resoluteness to see out the victory and set up a semi-final against Norweigan champions Bodo/Glimt.

Though every single player put in a tremendous shift, Destiny Udogie was particularly sensational. From intercepting balls into the channels before going on marauding runs forward, this was the Udogie of last season back in full flow.

Given the injury issues he has suffered in the last 12 months, it is no surprise that the Italian has struggled to reach the lofty expectations set by his own standards. However, there were glimpses of this exact type of performance in the first leg with the rest against Wolves allowing him plenty of time to recover and deliver another one.

On the opposite side, Pedro Porro was also imperious and Postecoglou's decision to name both, despite their recent inconsistencies while Spence has shined, was justified.

At the final whistle, the two full-backs were among the Tottenham players to celebrate passionately in the corner of the Deutsche Bank Park where their supporters were situated. Udogie also sent a clear message on Instagram before the semi-final first leg in just under two weeks.

Alongside a picture of him shouting with joy, he simply wrote: "BELIEVE!!! #blessed [hands together emoji]." Micky van de Ven, Solanke and Mikey Moore were among the Spurs players in the comments praising his display.

Every word Ange Postecoglou said on James Maddison and his parting joke to the media

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Every word Ange Postecoglou said on James Maddison and his parting joke to the media - Football London
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Tottenham Hotspur are through to the semi-finals of the Europa League and Ange Postecoglou had plenty to say in his press conference after the 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Spurs played a mature game out in Germany. A cagey first half came to a dramatic close when James Maddison tried to head a Cristian Romero pass over Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos only for the Brazilian to smash into him. Dominic Solanke stroked home the penalty calmly after the referee was called over to his pitchside monitor to review it.

Spurs were the better side for much of the second half, with a number of chances, and showed a real maturity to their performance to see out the game despite the noise of the crowd and Frankfurt throwing everything at them to take their place in the semi-finals of the competition.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Postecoglou and here's the full transcript from the press conference in Frankfurt.

You must be delighted with the maturity of your team tonight?

Yeah, I'm delighted with many things, super proud of the lads. Going away from home, a quarter-final against a very good side, you know you're going to have to work really hard, be really disciplined and we needed to score. We had to show the quality we had as well.

To a man I just thought they were outstanding, so proud of them. In such a big game, they delivered a performance and it means we're through to a semi-final. I think over the two legs we deserved to go through. It could have been all over in the first leg but we earned the right to be in the semi.

After a difficult season do you have a sixth sense that Tottenham's name could be on this trophy?

No, I don’t think that way. From our perspective we’ve had a difficult season and I think there’s some reasoning behind that was pretty evident that when we've got our strongest team out there, a lot of things we’ve suffered with this year I’m sure we wouldn’t have. The spine of our team, at times we've been missing Vicario, Romero, Van de Ven, Bentancur, Solanke, all of them we've been missing at different times this year.

We've got the whole group. It's not just them, it's the whole group together. We know that we can be a team that's pretty compelling against anybody. We're in the final four now so we've given ourselves a chance.

How is James Maddison?

He is fine. Unbelievable courage in that moment to put his body on the line knowing full well that he was going to get a pretty severe knock and I was surprised it wasn’t a red card. Super courageous from him. He is sore but I’m sure that has all been numbed knowing that he has helped us progress to the semi.

Were you pleased VAR helped or annoyed at no red card?

We can be facetious about that but I thought it was a clear penalty. I’m not sure why it needed VAR. When a player wins the ball and gets cleaned out, if that was a defender it definitely would probably have been a red card. It’s definitely a penalty. I don’t think it needed a review. Again, I think we got what we deserved.

How much confidence do you have in this squad now to go all the way and deliver what the fans have wanted for so long?

Look, we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. We’re in the semi-final and will play a difficult opponent in the semi, but it’s not about my belief in the team. What’s more important is the belief the team has had because after a season like ours, it would be very easy for the players and staff, they could have left me in a pretty vulnerable place in terms of them splintering, but I’ve never felt that (even) with all the noise around our season.

They’ve been so united in believing in what we’re trying to achieve here and that is what gave me heart all along that if we got our own slice of luck in terms of getting some players back that I really believed this team could achieve. That is what keeps driving me. It isn’t so much my belief in them, it’s their belief in what we’re doing and both players and staff have been outstanding. I am the front man for it but they take responsibility for it as well and all my decisions and everything I do, but not at any stage have I felt they lost any belief in me or what we’re doing. That is crucial when you’re having a difficult season, but there is also a season of opportunity there.

How do you feel Ange, there's been so much talk about you – is it a relief to come through?

I think I said yesterday, I am the same manager today that I was yesterday so if people think us winning tonight makes me a better manager or whoever thinks I wasn’t doing a good job yesterday, should be feeling the same way. I don’t care, it doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t affect what I do. For me, it’s always about the dressing room. Do the players believe? Do the staff believe? That’s much more important than what others may make of me. So, unfortunately for a lot of you, you’re going to have to put up with me for a little bit longer, mate, so let’s see how that goes.

Preparing for Frankfurt - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

final opponents confirmed after dramatic penalty shoot

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Tottenham Europa League semi-final opponents confirmed after dramatic penalty shoot-out - Football London
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Tottenham Hotspur have qualified for the Europa League semi-final for the first time since 1984 after knocking Eintracht Frankfurt out in the quarter-final on Thursday night.

Dominic Solanke scored the decisive goal in the tie from the penalty spot to hand Spurs a 2-1 aggregate win. After a 1-1 draw in north London last week, Solanke's penalty in Germany meant Tottenham kept their 2024/25 season alive.

Spurs' Premier League campaign has been left as a write-off with Ange Postecoglou's men sitting 16th. However, Thursday night's win in Frankfurt means Tottenham will play at least two more games this season.

They will face Lazio after the conclusion of their quarter-final clash with Bodo/Glimt. The Norwegian side had won the first-leg 2-0 but was denied a place in the last four in dramatic fashion when Lazio netted an injury-time leveller.

They will face Bodo/Glimt after they knocked Italian side Lazio out on penalties in a dramatic second-leg in Rome. The first leg will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday May 1 before the return leg in Italy follows a week later.

The two teams met in the Europa League group stage back in 2012, both fixtures ending 0-0. In the other semi-final, Athletic Bilbao take on Manchester United.

Bilbao eased past Rangers 2-0 in Spain on Thursday while United came from two goals down to win 7-6 on aggregate against Lyon.

The final is set to take place on May 21 2025 at the home of Bilbao. Fortunately for Postecoglou, Spurs go into the last four with no suspensions after the three players walking a tightrope avoided yellow cards.

Lucas Bergvall, Yves Bissouma and Dejan Kulusevski are all currently on two bookings and one more would have seen them receive a one-match ban. All three stayed out of the referees book and will be available for the semi-final.

Tottenham boss on reaching Europa League semi

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Ange Postecoglou press conference LIVE - Tottenham boss on reaching Europa League semi-finals - Football London
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Ange Postecoglou is holding his press conference after Tottenham reached the semi-finals of the Europa League with a 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt.

A cagey first half came to a dramatic conclusion when James Maddison tried to head a Cristian Romero chipped pass over Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos only for the stopper to wipe him out. Dominic Solanke stroked home the subsequently given penalty calmly before Maddison had to eventually go off following the collision.

Spurs were the better side for much of the second half and showed a real maturity to their performance to see out the game and take their place in the semi-finals of the competition.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Postecoglou. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conference in Frankfurt.

Ange Postecoglou delivers Tottenham Europa League masterclass and Guglielmo Vicario's kind act

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Postecoglou's Spurs European masterclass and what Vicario did before kick-off - Football London
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Tottenham are through to the semi-finals of the Europa League following a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night. Following the 4-2 defeat at Wolves last Sunday, Ange Postecoglou made a number of changes to his team as he tried to pick his perfect Spurs side to get the better of their German opponents.

Mathys Tel got the nod on the left-wing in Son Heung-min's absence and Brennan Johnson was selected on the right, but there was to be no place for Djed Spence in the starting XI as Destiny Udogie started at left-back. The hosts did threaten on a couple of occasions in the first half before Tel forced Kaua Santos into an excellent save with his shot from distance on course to find the net.

Santos was to be involved in a big moment just before the break as he clattered into James Maddison and a penalty was awarded following a VAR check. It was Dominic Solanke who stepped up and he made no mistake from the spot as he knocked the ball down the middle of Santos' goal to give the visitors a deserved lead.

Spurs went so close to doubling their lead on the hour mark as Cristian Romero headed millimetres wide from Pedro Porro's inviting corner with the goalkeeper well beaten. Tottenham were almost made to pay for their missed chances as Guglielmo Vicario made a big save from Fares Chiabi and Rasmus Kristensen then narrowly headed wide of the far post seconds later.

Kristensen was to have two further chances in the closing minutes but Spurs managed to see the game out to secure a 2-1 aggregate win. Here are five things we spotted in the game at Deutsche Bank Park:

Kulusevski's fitness

Kulusevski finally made his return to the pitch at Wolves last Sunday as he came on the for the final 15 minutes of the contest. Many believed that late cameo would result in a start in Frankfurt given the importance of the tie to Tottenham and also to Postecoglou's future.

That was not to be the case, though, as Johnson was picked ahead of him on the right-wing. That decision hinted at the Swede's current fitness levels but it also meant that the head coach had a huge weapon to bring on in the closing stages of the match.

After all, he recently mentioned that the substitutes would have a huge role to play in the tie. Kulusevski did enter the fray a bit earlier than many expected as he replaced the injured Maddison on the cusp of half-time.

The Sweden international more than played his part in the win as he carried the ball extremely well in the second half and helped Tottenham get the job done. Kulusevski will hopefully get even more minutes on Monday night when the team return to Premier League action against Nottingham Forest.

Vicario's kind act

There was no way Postecoglou was going to drop Guglielmo Vicario for the Eintracht Frankfurt game despite his struggles at Wolves last weekend. As Antonin Kinsky is not registered as part of Tottenham's Europa League squad, it would have been between Brandon Austin or Alfie Whiteman to start had the head coach elected to wield the axe.

Lining up as the Europa League anthem played ahead of the European tie, Vicario could be seen trying to protect the mascot stood in front of him from the rain. As it was pouring down inside Deutsche Bank Park, the goalkeeper held his gloves above the mascot's head to try and keep him dry.

It was a kind act from Vicario and no doubt something the youngster appreciated. Amid his Wolves woes, the Italian produced a big performance with some key saves as Spurs won in Germany.

Penalty decision

VAR came to Tottenham's aid just before half-time as they were awarded a penalty after Santos had cleaned Maddison out in the area when the midfielder had headed Romero's long ball towards goal. The referee initially believed it was a natural coming together before he was advised to go and check the screen.

Following a bit of a moment the last time they were awarded a penalty against Southampton as Tel scored when many believed Johnson would step up to complete his hat-trick, the Frenchman this time had hold of the ball and stood by the spot ready to take. However, there was to be a late change as he put the ball in Solanke's hands and he did the rest.

Whether it was a tactic to allow Solanke to compose himself away from the Frankfurt players remains to be seen. What was clear to see, though, was Postecoglou bellowing 'Dom, Dom' at the top of his voice from the touchline as he wanted his striker to take on the responsibility.

It proved to be the right call as the striker put the ball down the centre of Santos' goal and then went over to celebrate in front of the packed home end.

Tel-ing impact

It was Tel who won the race to replace Son in the Tottenham team away in Germany. Having plenty of options to operate from that side of the pitch with Wilson Odobert and Richarlison having experience there, Postecoglou opted for the loanee and it proved to be the right call.

Tel has maybe not set the world alight since joining from Bayern Munich at the beginning of February but this was undoubtedly one of his best performances in a Spurs shirt. Going into the game in confident mood after scoring two goals in his previous three games, he almost added another one to his tally with a curling effort from outside the box that Santos did well to keep out.

He was a constant threat down the left with his running and he also helped out defensively at times as Tottenham tried to keep their opponents quiet. Spurs certainly didn't feel the absence of Son as Tel stepped up to the mark and delivered an excellent showing.

Postecoglou and Spurs masterclass

Following that 4-2 defeat at Wolves on Sunday, some Spurs supporters perhaps didn't feel very confident at all travelling to Frankfurt for the crucial second leg. They needn't have worried as Postecoglou's side delivered such a professional performance and one of their best showings of the season.

Tottenham were brilliant from the very first minute as they tried to nullify the hosts and limit them to very little. The Lilywhites did create chances of their own and maybe should have scored more than the one goal they netted on the night given the attempts they had in the second half.

Frankfurt, on the other hand, didn't force Vicario into action too often but they still had some great openings to score, with former Leeds United man Kristensen passing up a hat-trick of opportunities. All of Tottenham's players put in huge shifts on the night, including Romero, Udogie, Micky Van de Ven and Solanke to name a few who were outstanding and really pushed Spurs on to victory.

The scenes at the full-time whistle said everything. It was a colossal showing from Tottenham and hopefully three more are to follow in Europe as they look to get their hands on the Europa League trophy.

Preparing for Frankfurt - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

What Ange Postecoglou shouted to Tottenham players before Dominic Solanke penalty

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What Ange Postecoglou shouted to Tottenham players before Dominic Solanke penalty - Football London
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Tottenham were handed a huge boost in their hopes of qualifying for the Europa League semi-final with them leading 1-0 in Germany against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Spurs travelled to the Bundesliga side level on aggregate after a 1-1 draw in north London last time out. In Germany, after riding an intense wave of attacks from Frankfurt, Spurs grew into the game.

Mathys Tel forced a smart save from Kaua Santos before Dominic Solanke was inches away from connecting with a cross. However, just before half-time, Spurs were handed a penalty after James Maddison was clattered to the floor by the Frankfurt goalkeeper.

A ball from Cristian Romero gave Maddison a free run into the home side's penalty area. The midfielder connected with the ball with head before Santos' collision left him on the floor.

Whilst VAR checked the incident, cameras panned to Ange Postecoglou barking orders out to his players. The Spurs boss was spotted shouting: "Dom. Dom," pointing towards Dominic Solanke to take the penalty.

At the time, Tel was holding the ball. Solanke was then handed the ball before calmly putting Spurs ahead. It comes after Tel was involved in a penalty row with Brennan Johnson in the recent win over Southampton.

Johnson was left frustrated after being denied the chance to clinch his first Premier League hat-trick. The Wales international had the ball taken off him by Pedro Porro before Romero gave it to Tel.

Elsewhere, Spurs will be sweating over the fitness of Maddison. After receiving treatment on the pitch, he did continue before going back down and being replaced by Dejan Kulusevski.

Mathys Tel starts with Kulusevski, Danso and Spence on bench

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Tottenham confirmed team vs Frankfurt - Mathys Tel starts with Kulusevski, Danso and Spence on bench - Football London
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Ange Postecoglou has named the Tottenham Hotspur team that will try to get past Eintracht Frankfurt in the £uropa League quarter-final second leg on Thursday night.

The Spurs boss has had to named a team without his captain Son Heung-min for a match that could define Spurs' season and likely Postecoglou's immediate future. His skipper Son did not make the trip across from north London as he has a foot injury that has been troubling him for a few weeks and it got too painful.

Postecoglou has replaced the South Korean star with Mathys Tel on the left, the Frenchman unbeaten in his appearances against Frankfurt for Spurs and Bayern, with Brennan Johnson on the right of Dominic Solanke.

With the full-backs, the Australian has named Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro in the team with Djed Spence among the substitutes.

Centre-back Kevin Danso has returned to training after more than a month out with a hamstring injury and is on the bench.

Here's the Tottenham team that will face Frankfurt at the Deutsche Bank Park:

Vicario, Pedro Porro, Romero (c), van de Ven, Udogie, Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison, Johnson, Solanke, Tel. Subs: Austin, Whiteman, Spence, Davies, Danso, Gray, Sarr, Bissouma, Kulusevski, Moore, Odobert, Richarlison.

Preparing for Frankfurt - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

Who will Tottenham face in Europa League semi

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Who will Tottenham face in Europa League semi-final if they beat Eintracht Frankfurt? - Football London
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Ange Postecoglou is gearing up for the biggest game of his Tottenham tenure so far, as his side take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday evening.

The tie remains finely poised after Hugo Ekitike’s early goal was cancelled out by Pedro Porro in last week’s first leg in London. With the aggregate score locked at 1-1, everything is still to play for at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt.

It has been a turbulent campaign for Postecoglou, who has had to contend with a staggering number of injuries. That said, there’s no denying that Spurs’ Premier League form has fallen well below expectations as they sit 15th in the table after 32 games.

The Europa League now presents a final opportunity to salvage their season and secure qualification for European football next term. But first, they must find a way past Frankfurt.

Who will Spurs face if they progress?

Spurs finished fourth in the league phase of this year’s competition, winning five of their eight games. Along the way, they picked up victories over Qarabag, Ferencvaros, AZ Alkmaar, Hoffenheim and IF Elfsborg.

Their only defeat came against Galatasaray, while they were held to draws by Roma and Rangers. In the round of 16, they faced AZ Alkmaar for the second time this season and produced a 3-1 second-leg comeback after losing the first leg 1-0.

Should Spurs get past Frankfurt, they will face either Norwegian side FK Bodø/Glimt or Serie A’s Lazio in the semi-finals. Bodø/Glimt currently lead 2-0 on aggregate ahead of Thursday’s second leg and are therefore favourites to progress.

The final will be held in Bilbao on 21 May, with Rangers, Athletic Bilbao, Manchester United and Lyon making up the other side of the draw.

Latest score as Solanke nets penalty, Maddison replaced

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Eintracht Frankfurt vs Tottenham LIVE - Latest score as Tel goes close, Gotze replaced - Football London
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You know as a manager if you don't deliver results or what you promise then ultimately you'll lose your job and the position that Spurs are in, in the Premier League.. they've been dreadful.

I admire the way Ange Postecoglu comes out, sticks up for his principles and wants to fight his corner. I admire his bullishness. If you can't back yourself then there's a problem.

The rule is, you have to go out and produce. Spurs haven't and if they get knocked out of the Europa League, I think it'll turn pretty ugly at Spurs. It's bad enough at the minute, so if they get knocked out on Thursday then you can imagine the reaction.

Every team has had injuries. I can't remember a team, at some stage of the season, not having lots and lots of injuries. You just have to get through them. Spurs have really struggled this season, whatever it is. They haven't scored enough goals, been really poor defensively and they've been caught out too many times. That's why they're in the position that they're in.

For Spurs and Man United, their whole season lies in this competition and I imagine it will turn pretty ugly for either club if they were to get knocked out this evening.

Tottenham stars drop early team news hints for Eintracht Frankfurt Europa League clash

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Tottenham stars drop early team news hints for Eintracht Frankfurt Europa League clash - Football London
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Several Tottenham Hotspur players have dropped early team news hints ahead of their Europa League clash against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Spurs take on the Bundesliga club in the second leg of their quarter-final tie, with the scoreline 1-1 from the reverse fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last week.

Ange Postecoglou's side go into the game against Frankfurt looking to secure a place in the semi-final, where they would face either Lazio or Bodo/Glimt.

Tottenham will need to either claim a victory over 90 minutes, extra time or penalties over Frankfurt to clinch a spot in the semi-final.

Spurs were beaten 4-2 by Wolves in the Premier League at the weekend, and now several players have offered hints of Postecoglou's potential team selection.

Posting pre-match graphics on social media has become a regular tradition for players in the modern game, and sometimes offers hints as to their potential involvement in the upcoming fixture.

Five Tottenham stars have posted pre-match graphics on their Instagram stories in the hours leading up to the clash against Frankfurt.

Mathys Tel, Kevin Danso, Dominic Solanke, James Maddison and Pedro Porro all posted pre-match graphics on Instagram ahead of the quarter-final tie in Germany.

Whether all five players are included in the starting line-up remains to be seen, with Danso missing the last seven matches with a hamstring injury but recently returning to training.

Tel, Solanke and Maddison all started for Tottenham in the defeat to Wolves at the weekend. Porro was an unused substitute by Postecoglou in the loss at Molineux in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Son Heung-Min will not be involved in the clash against Frankfurt after not travelling with the Tottenham squad due to a foot injury. Radu Dragusin also remains sidelined with a long-term injury.