Thomaz Oseghale
Tottenham Hotspur are close to securing a spot in the automatic last 16 of the Europa League after a 3-2 victory over Hoffenheim in Germany on Thursday night.
Spurs took an early lead when Pedro Porro played a long pass to James Maddison, who controlled and finished with precision.
They doubled their advantage soon after, with Son Heung-min scoring from a deflected pass by Maddison.
Son’s shot looped over Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann, giving Spurs a 2-0 lead.
Goalkeeper Brandon Austin made a crucial save to keep Spurs ahead in the first half, but Hoffenheim mounted a strong second-half response.
Andrej Kramaric hit the bar, and VAR overturned a penalty decision against Austin.
Hoffenheim eventually pulled one back through Anton Stach, making it 2-1.
However, Son struck again with just over 10 minutes remaining, producing a clever stepover and firing a low shot into the net to restore Spurs’ two-goal lead.
Late in the match, Hoffenheim substitute David Mokwa pulled another goal back, but it wasn’t enough as Tottenham held on for the win.
With the result, Tottenham are in a strong position to advance to the last 16, needing just a point in their final group match.
