Tottenham edge closer to Champions League knockouts with Dortmund win

LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur boosted their hopes by beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 here at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday, relieving head coach Thomas Frank of some pressure and bringing the club to the brink of joining the Champions League knockout rounds.

Captain Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke scored first-half goals to put Tottenham in control against a hopelessly underperforming Dortmund team, who finished three-quarters with 10 men due to the red card of Daniel Svensson.

Tottenham have won only two times in 11 Premier League games at their home stadium this season, a fact that has seen Frank struggling to keep his job. However, in Europe, they have been flawless in the north of London, winning all four of the games they have had in the Champions League.

The most recent one had propelled them to temporary fourth in the table before the games on Wednesday, so another victory at Eintracht Frankfurt next week would guarantee a top-eight place and the latter 16.

Dortmund, who started the night on equal terms with Tottenham on 11 points but led on goal difference, now must visit Inter Milan and is probably the one that will need to roll the dice in the playoffs.

Frank complimented the fans on their energy and how they would build on it with a good performance against Burnley.

“That energy between the fans and the players was magic,” Frank said.

“I think the big thing is to build on this with a performance and a win against Burnley.”