Tottenham secured a vital 3-2 win over Hoffenheim in a thrilling Europa League clash at the Presero Arena.
Goals from James Maddison and Heung-Min Son gave Tottenham the lead, and despite a spirited second-half fight from the hosts, Son's second goal sealed the win for Ange Postecoglou's side.
The visitors could not have asked for a better start as Maddison opened the scoring in just the third minute.
Pedro Boro provided a perfect assist, passing the ball through the Hoffenheim defense to reach Maddison, who shot the ball past goalkeeper Oliver Bowman.
The England international's goal was Tottenham's quickest in Europe this season and set the tone for a dominant first-half display.
Tottenham doubled their lead in the 22nd minute. Maddison was involved again, taking advantage of Hoffenheim's sloppy defending to pass the ball to captain Son Heung-min.
The South Korean player's shot hit his left foot, flew over Baumann and into the net.
A special night for Sony ✨ pic.twitter.com/X2CHbIodo2
– Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 23, 2025
The visitors could have added more to their tally before half-time, with Richarlison and Son both going close, but they headed home on the stroke of half-time with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
The second half saw a completely different Hoffenheim side. With the support of their fans, the German team pressured Tottenham relentlessly and created many chances.
Their persistence paid off in the 68th minute when Anton Stach scored.
A quick counter-attack led to David Jurassic sending in a low cross which Stache converted brilliantly to give Hoffenheim a lifeline.
The goal marked the end of a long goal drought for Hoffenheim in the Europa League, and the momentum shifted firmly in their favour.
Tottenham found themselves pinned down at the back, as Hoffenheim dominated possession and created wave after wave of attacks.
Kramaric went close when his header hit the crossbar, while a penalty involving goalkeeper Brandon Austin was disallowed after a VAR check.
Despite Hoffenheim's best efforts, Tottenham weathered the storm and struck the knockout blow in the 77th minute. Youngster Mickey Moore, who had replaced Richarlison earlier, provided the assist for Son's second goal of the night.
Rodrigo Bentancur got the ball rolling, passing the ball to Moore, who passed the ball to Son with a perfect pass.
The Spurs captain raced into the box and fired a low shot past Bowman to restore a two-goal lead.
There was more excitement minutes before the end of the match after David Ngabe Mukwa Ntoso scored with a header to make it 2-3 heading into stoppage time.
But the visitors saw things through, and came close to securing qualification from their Europa League group, while Hoffenheim were left to rue missed opportunities as they continued to struggle in the competition.
