Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham) contributed with an assist as Tottenham successfully advanced to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League (UEL).

Tottenham won 3-1 against AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands) in the second leg of the 2024-2025 UEL Round of 16 held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London at 5 a.m. on the 14th (local time).

Having lost 0-1 in the first leg away on the 7th, Tottenham turned the tide in the second leg.

Tottenham, currently in 13th place in the English Premier League (EPL), has been eliminated from both the EFL Cup and FA Cup, leaving the Europa League as the only tournament with realistic championship hopes this season.

Tottenham deployed a 4-3-3 formation. Son Heung-min, Solanke, and Odobert were positioned in the attacking line. In midfield, Maddison, Berrivall, and Sar were on the field, and the defense consisted of Spence, Van de Ven, Romero, and Pedro Porro. The goalkeeper was Vicario.

Alkmaar used a 4-2-3-1 formation. Parrott played as the top striker. On the second line were Sadik, Burmeister, and Poku. The third line included Koopmeiners and Klasie. The defense was composed of Maikuma, Huss, Alexandre, and Müller-Wolf. The goalkeeper was Ousu-Odur.

Both teams engaged in an early probing phase.

Son Heung-min led the Tottenham attack. In the 22nd minute of the first half, he delivered a sharp cross from the left side. It seemed destined to connect with a teammate, but the opposing goalkeeper managed to punch the ball away first.

Tottenham scored the opening goal in the 25th minute of the first half. Son Heung-min played a crucial role. Seeing Son Heung-min being pressured by Alkmaar's defender Hook, he attempted a kick to send the ball away from his own half. However, the ball struck Son Heung-min and deflected towards Tottenham forward Solanke, who was near the box. In an instant, a counterattack chance for Tottenham was created. As Odobert rushed into the box, he received the ball and scored with a powerful shot.

With Odobert's goal, the aggregate score for both legs was leveled at 1-1.

In the 33rd minute of the first half, Son Heung-min aimed directly for the goal. He penetrated from the left side toward the arc and unleashed a well-aimed right-foot shot, but it was saved. Three minutes later, he attempted another shot at the team's second goal with a similar attack route, but this time the defense cleared Son Heung-min's shot.

Tottenham continued to look for opportunities down the left side where Son Heung-min was stationed. In the first minute of added time in the second half, Son Heung-min, who had possession of the ball on the left, sent a ball into the box. The precision was slightly lacking.

In the second minute of added time in the second half, Tottenham cleverly earned a free kick near the box through a smart foul. Maddison took the kick, which deflected off the defense and went over the bar. The ensuing corner kick also went unused.

In the second minute of the second half, Tottenham let out a sigh of relief. Tottenham goalkeeper Vicario, who received a back pass from Romero, seemed to handle the ball comfortably, but he was sweating under pressure from an opposing player. He barely managed to avoid losing the ball.

After the crisis came the opportunity. In the 3rd minute of the second half, Tottenham scored a second goal. Son Heung-min assisted, and Maddison found the back of the net. On a counterattack chance, a lateral pass was sent to Son Heung-min, who was stationed on the left side. He charged into the Alkmaar box and provided a short pass to Maddison, who was unmarked. Maddison scored with a precise shot into the bottom right corner of the goal. Tottenham led the aggregate score to 2-1.

Alkmaar did not sit idly by. In the 13th minute of the second half, Klasie attempted a low, rapid non-stop shot from a corner kick, which missed the goal by a narrow margin.

In the 16th minute of the second half, there was a change in Tottenham's defensive line. Head coach Ange Postecoglou replaced Van de Ven with Gray.

Just after the change in Tottenham's defense, in the 18th minute of the second half, Alkmaar scored a goal. Tottenham had been careless in handling the ball in their own half. Due to a miscommunication between Berrivall and Odobert, no one managed to properly control the ball. Taking advantage of this, Koopmeiners snatched the ball near the box and scored with a lightning-quick shot. The aggregate score leveled at 2-2.

In the 29th minute of the second half, Tottenham regained the lead. This time, it also started from Son Heung-min's feet. Receiving a pass from Maddison coming from the back on the left side, Son Heung-min smartly delivered the ball to the advancing Spence. He immediately crossed into the box, where Solanke used his heel to touch it, and the ball rolled to Odobert, who had provided the earlier goal. Odobert scored with an inside shot with his right foot. Tottenham took the lead again with a 3-2 aggregate score.

Four minutes of added time were given. Alkmaar fought hard for an additional goal, but Tottenham did not give them any openings.

The match concluded with a victory for Tottenham.

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