Conte bemoans Spurs' profligacy in Germany

FRANKFURT - It was a little over two weeks ago that Tottenham Hotspur scored six goals past Leicester City, with Son Heung-min netting a hat-trick after a difficult start to the season.

But on Tuesday, manager Antonio Conte lamented his team's lack of firepower up front as Spurs played out a 0-0 Champions League draw away at Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.

Tottenham's strike duo of Harry Kane and Son, who scored a combined 40 goals in the Premier League last season, failed to take advantage of several clear chances and were frequently lambasted by the hostile home crowd.

While Conte praised Spurs' performance in front of the Frankfurt fans, he regretted his side's wasteful performance up front, with their first shot on target coming only after 80 minutes.

"We need to be more clinical," said the Italian, after his players took 11 shots with only one on target. But the same could be said of the hosts, who had 12 shots with just two on target.

"It was a good match. We played with great intensity. We created many, many chances to score and the most important thing for me is to create chances. But football is simple, to win, you have to score."

Just before kick-off, word filtered around the arena that unbeaten Group D leaders Sporting Lisbon had lost 4-1 to Marseille, meaning Spurs or Frankfurt could go joint-top on six points with a win.

Frankfurt dominated the early stages, but as the half went on, Spurs looked more comfortable, appearing to have shaken off the lingering effects of the 3-1 derby defeat by Arsenal on the weekend - their first loss of the Premier League campaign.

The visitors' best chances of an entertaining opening half fell to Kane, but the England captain was unable to connect, scuffing a shot when presented with an open goal in the 39th minute.

Just a minute later, his usual strike partner Son skied the ball over the bar. Wing-back Ivan Perisic also had a chance but his shot missed the mark as well.

Frustration crept in during the closing stages, with Kane picking up a yellow card in the 85th minute for a charge on Makoto Hasebe.

Spurs have now gone seven European away matches without a win.

Frankfurt coach Oliver Glasner said that his side "could live with a point" after a challenging week where they beat Bundesliga leaders Union Berlin 2-0.

"Tottenham are of course the favourites (in the group), this offence is probably one of the best in Europe," he said, looking forward to next week's rematch in London.

"It is important to control them."

Both sides are now equal on four points, with the return fixture next Wednesday looking ever more crucial.

AFP, REUTERS