Tottenham Hotspur survive Group D of the Champions League to qualify for the knockout round. The north London club beat Marseille 2-1 away to finish top of the group ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Spurs also entered the night at the top of the standings. Their group, along with Marseille, Frankfurt and Sporting, was the most competitive group in this season’s Champions League. Going into matchday six, all four teams could have qualified for the knockout rounds of the Champions League. Only two points separated the teams in the table.
Marseille started the night on the front foot as they essentially dominated Spurs in the first half. A late goal from Chancel Mbemba put the hosts ahead at half-time. Spurs star Son Heung-Min was forced to leave the field before the goal due to a head injury.
Tottenham and Frankfurt advance to the knockout stages of the Champions League
In the other Group D match, Sporting also took an early lead against Frankfurt. In the half-time breaks, Sporting and Marseille were in the two qualifying positions for the knockout stages of the Champions League. Spurs were third and Frankfurt was bottom at the time, meaning they would be out of Europe entirely if the results held.
However, Spurs fought back with two second-half goals to top the group. Clement Lenglet scored early in the half, while Pierre-Emile Højbjerg scored the winner in extra time. The goal in the 94th minute saw Spurs win the group.
Former Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac missed an open header that would have given Marseille at least a point just minutes before Højbjerg’s goal. However, the French team’s defeat means they are out of the European game for the current campaign.
Likewise, Frankfurt also came from behind to score two goals in the second half. Daichi Kamada and Randal Kolo Muani scored their goals just 10 minutes apart. The goals brought the German club out of the basement and into the knockout stages of the Champions League.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Panoramic
