Tottenham Hotspur earned a comfortable big win in front of returning legend Son Heung-min (33, LAFC). Xavi Simons (22), who inherited Son Heung-min's No. 7 shirt, also scored in consecutive official matches for the first time since joining Tottenham.
Tottenham defeated Slavia Prague 3-0 in the round 6 home match of the 2025-2026 UEFA Champions League (UCL) league phase at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on the 10th (Korea time).
With the victory, Tottenham moved to 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, recording 11 points and jumping to ninth place. The possibility of entering eighth place, which grants a direct spot in the round of 16, has grown again.
Before kickoff Son Heung-min returned "home." He had played for Tottenham from 2015 through last season before transferring to LAFC in the United States in August. He chose a beautiful farewell after winning the UEFA Europa League.
However, Son Heung-min could not personally greet local British fans. After his farewell match in Korea during the preseason, he went straight to the United States. For that reason, Son Heung-min said afterwards that he wanted to visit London several times to greet the fans, and he visited Tottenham during the MLS off-season break.
Returning to Tottenham Hotspur, Son Heung-min embraced former teammates he had not seen in a long time. He received a commemorative plaque from another Tottenham legend, Ledley King, and joked, "You haven't forgotten me, have you?" then shouted, "It was an incredible 10 years. I am truly grateful. I will always be a Spur, and I will be with you. This place will always be my home. I will never forget it."
With Son Heung-min watching from the stands, Tottenham deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation. Richarlison, Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus, Archie Gray, João Palhinha, Djed Spence, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro and Guglielmo Vicario started.
Tottenham pushed hard from the start. They took control against Slavia, who had scored only two goals in the UCL this season. In the first minute Richarlison connected a cross from the left with a first-time shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 11th minute, Kudus's run into the space behind and his subsequent shot was also stopped by the goalkeeper.
Tottenham opened the scoring. In the 26th minute of the first half Porro delivered a corner kick and Romero connected with a header. Slavia's defense tried to clear it, but it instead became an own goal. The first half ended 1-0.
The second goal was also Tottenham's. In the 2nd minute of the second half Yussuf Sané attempted a late tackle on Porro and conceded a penalty. Kudus, who took the kick, calmly fooled the goalkeeper and scored to make it 2-0.
Tottenham continued their attacks. In the 7th minute of the second half Odobert shot inside the box but missed. Manager Thomas Frank brought on Matisse Thiel and Pape Sarr in the 13th minute of the second half, giving bench players a chance.
Slavia also used substitution cards to try for a comeback, but it did not go their way. Thanks to goalkeeper Ondřej Staněk's saves, they were fortunate not to concede further. In the 18th minute of the second half Thiel's shot was also stopped by Staněk.
The onslaughting Tottenham once again found the net from a penalty. In the 33rd minute of the second half Simons was tripped by a defender's foot in the box and went down, and the referee called the foul. Taking the spot kick himself, Simons scored with a precise shot, recording his first UCL goal in a Tottenham uniform. The match ended as Tottenham's 3-0 complete victory.
[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited), Tottenham social media.
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