Europa League Next Level Teamwork analysis: Frankfurt and Tottenham enthrall
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
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UEFA's Performance Analysis unit examines excellent team goals from Tottenham and Frankfurt in the UEFA Europa League.
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Sublime technical finishing over pure power, and precise, one-touch passing are the keywords in two textbook combination goals scored by Frankfurt against Ajax and Tottenham against Elfsborg earlier this season.
Alongside UEFA's Performance Analysis unit, UEFA technical observers Haakon Lunov and Steve Cooper strip both goals down to their tactical bones as part of the Europa League Next Level Teamwork series, presented by Engelbert Strauss.
Jean-Matteo Bahoya: Frankfurt 4-1 Ajax
Assisted by Hugo Ekitiké’s neatly nudged pass, Bahoya’s low, left-foot finish opened the scoreline in the seventh minute for Frankfurt in this round of 16 second-leg fixture that the German side went on to win 4-1, completing a swift, sumptuous team move which left Ajax's defence mimicking statues.
Lunov on Bahoya's goal
"The first interesting thing with this combination goal is how the two first 'give and go' actions from Bahoya look like a passing drill. This shows the value of integrating passing exercises in training sessions, ideally with direction and an end goal.
"Look at the decision-making Ekitiké has before the assist. A hundred times quicker than the time it takes to read this text, he's going to receive the pass, decide if he wants to continue the one-two back to the feet of Bahoya, decide that he will not, technically use three touches to adjust the ball to be played through at the same time as he lifts his vision to see and time the run of Bahoya, and then weigh the key pass through for Bahoya to finish with one touch. These are the standards that many young players and coaches can learn from - the technical quality, precision and speed of this action."
Cooper on Bahoya's goal
"[Ekitiké] has the awareness to receive the ball well, with his body position, to turn, and to make that little assist pass for the goal with really great self-awareness and really good composure in delivering the technical action.
"On top of the combination play, it's really important to find free space to surprise defenders – which can be after you've passed the ball, and, as happens on both these occasions, run forwards to receive the ball back."
Oyindamola Ajayi: Tottenham 3-0 Elfsborg
Substitute Ajayi exchanges passes with opening goalscorer and fellow Tottenham Academy graduate Dane Scarlett on the edge of the penalty box, and drills low into the bottom corner for Spurs' second goal in their home Matchday 8 fixture, where a win secured a top-eight league phase finish for the hosts. It was a less explosive, but more considered crescendo which culminated in a goal borne out of Tottenham's tactic of occupying their opponents' back line once in the final third.
Cooper on Ajayi's goal
"They have three or sometimes four players on their back line, which does a couple of things. It occupies the opponents' back line and stops them from being able to jump into spaces in between the line, which then can and does cause confusion between the back line and the midfield.
"You can see that the centre-back doesn’t want to pick Dejan Kulusevski up and the midfielder has to go to him. What that then does is cause a gap to appear, a space in between the line which Spurs can then exploit through a technical action. It was really good timing of technical actions in terms of weight of pass, driving into space, the set and then the finish, which shows great composure where he picks out his spot and commits to it with great technique."
Lunov on Ajayi's goal
"Had [Ajayi] challenged after the first reception, the Elfsborg winger would probably have made it defensively. He has a dribbling technique and control of the ball that allows him to look up almost all the time and be aware of everything that goes on around him.
"Then, in the moment of the combination, it's clear he has space in front of him that he could have decided to exploit alone, but the combination gives him the time to attack the space without the ball."
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