Tottenham scored a crucial 3-2 win over Hoffenheim in a thrilling Europa League match at the PreZero Arena.
Goals from James Maddison and Heung-Min Son gave Spurs a comfortable lead and, despite a spirited second-half fightback from the hosts, Son’s second goal sealed victory for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
The visitors couldn’t have asked for a better start as Maddison opened the scoring in the third minute.
Pedro Porro provided a precise assist and pushed the ball through the Hoffenheim defense to Maddison, who fired past goalkeeper Oliver Baumann.
The England international’s goal was Spurs’ fastest goal in Europe this season and set the stage for a dominant first-half performance.
Tottenham doubled their lead in the 22nd minute. Maddison was involved again and took advantage of Hoffenheim’s sloppy defense to set up captain Son Heung-min.
The South Korean’s left-footed shot took a nasty deflection and flew over Baumann and into the net.
A special evening for Sonny ✨ pic.twitter.com/X2CHbIodo2
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 23, 2025
The visitors could have increased their tally before half-time as Richarlison and Son both went close, but they went into half-time with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
In the second half we saw a completely different Hoffenheim team. Supported by their home fans, the German team put relentless pressure on Tottenham and created numerous chances.
Their persistence paid off in the 68th minute when Anton Stach scored the goal.
A quick counter-attack led to David Jurasek playing a low cross which Stach expertly converted to give Hoffenheim salvation.
The goal marked the end of a long goal drought for Hoffenheim in the Europa League, and the momentum clearly swung in their favour.
Tottenham were pushed back while Hoffenheim dominated possession and unleashed wave after wave of attacks.
Kramaric went close with a looping header that hit the crossbar, while a penalty taken against goalkeeper Brandon Austin was overturned after a VAR check.
Despite Hoffenheim’s best efforts, Tottenham weathered the storm and delivered the decisive blow in the 77th minute. Youngster Mikey Moore, who had previously replaced Richarlison, set up Son’s second goal of the night.
Rodrigo Bentancur initiated the move and passed the ball to Moore, who released Son with a perfectly weighted pass.
The Spurs captain burst into the penalty area and fired a low shot past Baumann to restore the two-goal lead.
There was more drama a few minutes before the end after David Ngabi Mokwa Ntusu headed in injury time to make it 2-3.
But the visitors have done it and are moving closer to qualifying for their Europa League group, while Hoffenheim are left to rue their missed opportunities as their struggles in the competition continue.
