FROM CAR CRASH TO GOAL: HOW RANDAL KOLO MUANI STUNNED FRANKFURT AFTER CHAOS

Randal Kolo Muani overcomes a car crash to score as Tottenham beat Frankfurt 2-0, securing a 4th-place Champions League finish.

From Car Crash to Goal: How Randal Kolo Muani stunned Frankfurt after chaos
Kolo Muani scores against his old club after Tuesday’s car crash

Randal Kolo Muani shook off a wild few days and fired Tottenham into the Champions League last 16 with a 2-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt.

He’d watched the whole Burnley match from the bench on Saturday—Spurs only managed a 2-2 draw, and the rumours were swirling that Juventus wanted him back. As if that wasn’t enough, he got in a car crash on Tuesday. But by the time the whistle blew in Germany, Kolo Muani looked just fine. Even with a late arrival, he popped up right after halftime and scored against his old club. Then Dominic Solanke added another, which helped quiet things down for their embattled manager, Thomas Frank. With that, Tottenham somehow finished fourth in the league phase.

It wasn’t easy. Spurs missed 14 players for this trip, which couldn’t have come at a worse time for Frank. Fans had already started to turn on him after only two Premier League wins in 14.

Despite all that, Kolo Muani got the start against his former team. The home crowd booed him, but he nearly set up a goal right away—got down the left, whipped in a cross, and when Frankfurt’s keeper Kaua Santos spilt it, Xavi Simons poked it in. Spurs celebrated, but VAR called it back for a foul by Destiny Udogie in the buildup.

Tottenham settled in after that. Joao Palhinha forced a save with a header, but news from other matches dropped Spurs down to ninth place in the league phase. Suddenly, they started to pour on the chances. Udogie somehow missed a sitter from a Kolo Muani cross, and then Wilson Odobert spun and smashed a shot off the post from outside the box.

Simons probably should’ve scored, too. He jumped on a sloppy pass from Santos, but the Frankfurt keeper redeemed himself with a sharp save.

Frankfurt nearly made Tottenham pay just before halftime—Hugo Larsson broke the offside trap and rattled the crossbar. The teams went in 0-0, but Tottenham didn’t waste time after the break.

Just over a minute into the second half, they pulled off a clever short free-kick routine. Simons found space, floated a cross for Cristian Romero, and Romero nodded it down for Kolo Muani to bundle in from close range. That was only his third goal in 24 games for Spurs, but it couldn’t have come at a better moment.

Frankfurt had a chance to answer, but Aurelio Buta’s heavy touch let Spurs off the hook. Kolo Muani then sent another shot just wide.

Santos had to be alert to keep out a curling effort from Pape Sarr. Frank made a change, bringing on Solanke for Odobert in the 73rd minute. It paid off almost instantly—four minutes later, Solanke raced through and drilled the ball into the bottom corner, sealing the win and Tottenham’s place in the last 16. That’s five wins in the competition now, and fourth place is locked up. Not a bad night, all things considered.

ARSENAL POCKET INSANE £125.18M FOLLOWING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL QUALIFICATION

Mikel Arteta's side has added £15.97m to their cash reserves, eclipsing the total earned by current champions PSG last year.

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Arsenal Bag Extra £15.9m Prize Money After Historic Champions League Semifinal - Photo Credit: PA

Arsenal have added another £15.97 million to their UEFA prize money haul after securing a spot in the Champions League final with a win against Atletico Madrid. They are set to face either Bayern Munich or the current champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest on May 30, aiming for their first-ever triumph in this prestigious competition.

Beyond that, there’s an additional £5.61 million up for grabs in Hungary later this month. But up to now, Arsenal have amassed an eye-watering £125.18 million in Champions League prize money this season alone. A place in next season’s European Super Cup also carries a potential reward of around £3.45 million. It’s been a remarkable European run under Mikel Arteta, with the team dominating the group stage by winning all eight matches.

From the very beginning, the club benefited from the initial distribution of TV revenue and the rankings pool, which together amounted to £49.6 million. Even before the knockout rounds kicked off, Arsenal had already secured £85.3 million in prize money.

That total doesn’t even cover the bonuses linked to their on-field success, as each of their eight victories in the group stage brought in roughly £15.8 million altogether.

By finishing first out of 36 group-phase clubs, Arsenal earned an extra £8.6 million, and progressing straight to the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams secured them another £11.3 million.

They continued their strong run by eliminating Bayer Leverkusen after a 1-1 draw away and a 2-0 win at the Emirates, which added £10.8 million more to their earnings.

Overcoming Sporting CP in the quarter-finals also brought a £10.8 million bonus. While Arsenal’s motivation isn’t just financial, this level of income certainly aids in meeting profit and sustainability rules and other financial fair play criteria.

It’s also likely to support their summer transfer budget, as sporting director Andrea Berta looks to build on Arteta’s squad.

Last season, Arsenal took home £98.63 million after reaching the semi-finals before falling to PSG.

PSG, who went on to win the title, collected about £124.62 million last year, so Arsenal have now already surpassed that figure.

Meanwhile, UEFA has set aside a record £2.13 billion in prize money for the 2025-26 Champions League season, highlighting the competition’s growing financial stakes.

JAN OBLAK CONFESSES ATLETICO WERE "AFRAID TO PLAY" AGAINST ARSENAL

Following their Champions League exit, skipper Jan Oblak analysed where Atletico went wrong and paid tribute to Griezmann.

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Oblak Demands Mentality Shift At Atletico After Crashing Out To Arsenal - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Jan Oblak didn’t hold back after Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal. He said straight up that the team just didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the final. Sure, he’s proud of how far the squad has come recently, but the way they went out still stings.

Oblak was pretty open about where things went wrong, especially after the first leg, when Atletico failed to take an advantage back to London. “I'm disappointed, just like all the fans. Honestly, I can’t find the words. We didn’t do enough to be in the final, and it’s just a tough moment. We had our chances to win, but we didn’t take them. All that’s left is to congratulate Arsenal.”

He didn’t stop there, either. Speaking to CBS Golazo, Oblak was even more direct about the team’s mentality, especially in the first half of both matches. He felt Atletico were hesitant, too respectful of Arsenal, and afraid to play. Both times, they fell behind before halftime and then tried to play catch-up, but it was always a little too late. “This has happened several times this season,” Oblak said, “and while we’ve managed to win those games before, not today when it mattered most.”

On the flip side, Oblak did give some credit to the young players and the growth the team’s shown, especially after a couple of big summers that saw a huge part of the squad change. “The last two seasons, we’ve switched out something like 15 players. A lot of young guys with not much experience came in. They did great in the cup, and they’ve held up in the Champions League too. In the league, we weren’t good enough for the biggest matches, but I’m proud of how the younger ones are growing. Still, when the goal is to win a title, and you don’t, you can’t call it a success. All we can do is look forward and hope we’ll be fighting for trophies next season.”

Saying goodbye to Antoine Griezmann made this exit even sadder for Oblak and the rest of the squad. Griezmann’s heading to Orlando City this summer, bringing the curtain down on his Champions League career with Atletico. “Everyone’s going to miss Griezi; he’s an incredible player and a great guy. The kind of person who’s always smiling, always positive, and does things on the pitch nobody else can. We’ll miss him a lot; the fans will miss him, but he deserves nothing but the best wherever he goes.”

At 33, Oblak is one of Atletico’s true leaders, right behind Koke for the captain’s armband. Alongside Jose Maria Gimenez and Marcos Llorente, he’s been a

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