Tottenham Secure Progress As Kolo Muani Scores Again In Champions League

Tottenham reached the Champions League last 16 with a controlled 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, easing some pressure from a difficult Premier League campaign and extending a strong run in Europe that now includes three consecutive wins in the competition for the first time since November 2019.

Goals from Randal Kolo Muani and Dominic Solanke at Deutsche Bank Park sealed fourth place in the league phase, as Spurs continued a pattern of progressing safely from the Champions League group or league stage, having fallen short at this hurdle only once in seven campaigns, back in 2016-17.

Despite occupying a position in the bottom half of the Premier League table, Spurs have looked more assured in Europe, where recent results and performances

suggest growing confidence, with the Frankfurt win also bringing another clean sheet to underline improved balance between attack and defensive structure on the continental stage.

Kolo Muani again delivered in the Champions League, scoring all three of Spurs’ goals for the club against former teams, after a brace in a 5-3 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in November, though the forward remains without a goal in 15 Premier League appearances during the current domestic season.

The France international, on loan at Spurs from Juventus, has now struck three times in the last four Champions League matches, equalling the total from the previous 26 outings in the competition, underlining a sharp contrast between continental output and league struggles since the move to England.

Thomas Frank praised the display and finishing of Kolo Muani, saying, "I was very happy that he scored the goal. He looked like a threat. I think he had great actions throughout the game," while also emphasising the forward’s influence beyond the single decisive moment in Germany.

Frank also detailed the message shared with the striker after full-time, explaining, "I'm very happy that he got the goal and I said to him, 'please start scoring against other teams that aren't your former clubs!' That would be nice. But we know when you come to a new club, a new country, it's never straightforward and especially not in the Premier League. I hope this will give him some confidence. "

Spurs’ head coach felt the performance in Frankfurt showed clear progress, stating, "I think in this game, we were more or less in control from the beginning to the end. I think that's a big thing," and highlighted the level of opposition across the new league phase format.

Frank referenced other results in the competition, saying, "We've seen some of the results in the Champions League tonight. We've seen some of the results throughout the league phase – there are no easy games. " The coach stressed that Spurs managed the pressure, limited chances against, and maintained discipline over ninety minutes.

Reflecting on the wider campaign, Frank added, "We're sitting here with 17 points, finishing fourth in the group stage, with our sixth sheet. I think it's very impressive. Of course, we're still working on creating, but I think we created quite a lot today, which I'm very pleased with. " Spurs will now await their opponents for the knockout round draw.

Our potential opponents in the @ChampionsLeague Round of 16 pic.twitter.com/SAcU1eweCrTottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 28, 2026