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.
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.
MARTIN ODEGAARD AND KAI HAVERTZ MISS FINAL TRAINING; CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES FADING
Arsenal's Champions League hopes are in doubt as Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz miss final training ahead of the Atletico tie.
Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz didn’t show up for Arsenal’s open training on Monday, just a day before the crucial Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Both missed Saturday’s comfortable 3-0 win over Fulham because of injuries: Odegaard with his knee and Havertz with a muscular problem.
Odegaard hurt his knee in last week’s draw with Atletico, while Havertz hasn’t played since picking up an issue against Newcastle. After beating Fulham, Mikel Arteta sounded confident they’d be ready for Atletico, but on Monday neither player was seen with the first team. That’s a big hint they won’t be involved at the Emirates.
Arteta is set to speak to the media soon, though don’t expect him to spill much; he’s known for keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to team news.
There were a couple more missing faces at London Colney. Jurrien Timber (groin) and Mikel Merino (foot) were also absent. Timber hasn’t featured since before the international break, and it’s unclear when he’ll return, but Arsenal hope it’s before the end of the season. Merino’s been out nearly three months since foot surgery. He might not play again this month.
On the upside, Bukayo Saka was back in training after getting subbed at halftime against Fulham, where he started his first Premier League game since mid-March.
Now, Arsenal really have a headache. Odegaard, who scored 15 goals last season, just hasn’t looked the same. Staff are increasingly worried about him; he’s missed 25 games in all competitions this year, thanks to a pileup of injuries: two freak shoulder issues, two muscular injuries, and the recurring knee problem. When he’s fit, Odegaard can still make magic happen; just look at his four assists across six games in January, but right now, his body keeps letting him down.
Havertz’s story isn’t much brighter. He’s managed only 20 appearances this season, mostly because of a serious knee injury in the summer and more muscle problems afterward. He’s Arsenal’s top earner at £280,000 a week, while Odegaard sits fourth at £240,000. Having two high-paid players sidelined so often is not ideal, and Arsenal need answers.
To try to sort out this ongoing injury crisis, Arteta has reportedly brought in a trusted expert from the medical field to lead an investigation. Arsenal hope this move finally sheds some light on their troubled injury record.
DECLAN RICE ACCUSES REFEREE OF CRUMBLING UNDER PRESSURE IN MADRID PENALTY DRAMA
Arsenal head to the Emirates with a 1-1 draw, but Declan Rice is fuming over the officiating standards in the Champions League.
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Declan Rice didn’t hold back after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw in Madrid, backing Mikel Arteta’s outrage and insisting the team deserved a “clear” penalty. He even went so far as to say that Atlético Madrid’s fans pushed the referee, Danny Makkelie, into changing his mind.
Arteta was livid. Late in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, Makkelie first pointed to the spot for Arsenal after Eberechi Eze went down. But surrounded by Diego Simeone’s wild sideline antics and the roar of 70,000 Atleti supporters, Makkelie stared at the replay 13 times, then flipped his call and waved play on.
Looking back on it, Rice couldn’t believe it. “It’s a clear penalty,” he said. “I don't know how that's not been given. I think the fans got to him and changed his mind. UEFA is just a different world. In both boxes, you have to be so careful because referees call everything.”
Arsenal ran into trouble with VAR twice. First, the ref ruled Ben White handled a Llorente volley, and Julián Álvarez buried the resulting penalty, cancelling out Viktor Gyökeres’ earlier spot-kick. Rice felt for White. Talking with Stan Sport, he said, “If that happens in the Premier League, it doesn’t get given. The ball’s hardly off the ground, and it’s not even on target. But in the Champions League, the refs make these snap calls and whistle for everything. It’s just more strict. But whatever, we move on. We want to beat them next week.”
Despite the drama, Arsenal is still in a solid spot. They’ll head back to London, hoping the home crowd can push them into their first Champions League final since 2006. Bukayo Saka, freshly back from an Achilles injury, is counting on it. “We’d have liked to win, but we’ll take the draw. It’s halftime, and we’re full of confidence going back to the Emirates,” he said. “I’m sure the atmosphere will be even bigger, and that will give us a real boost.”
Before that return leg, Arsenal face Fulham at home on Saturday. They could put more heat on Manchester City by stretching their Premier League lead, though City still has games in hand and plays Everton next. The race is on.
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