Tottenham Hotspur secured their place in the UEFA Europa League Quarter-Finals with a 3-2 aggregate victory over AZ Alkmaar, overcoming a resilient Dutch side at home. The win marked Tottenham’s fifth victory in six European encounters against Dutch opposition at home, offering a boost in a season where domestic silverware has eluded them.
Despite a cautious start, Tottenham broke the deadlock in the 26th minute. Son Heung-min dispossessed Wouter Goes outside the AZ Alkmaar box, allowing Dominic Solanke to set up Wilson Odobert, who fired home. The goal leveled the tie on aggregate and energized the home side. Son nearly added a second before halftime, but Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro made a crucial save to keep AZ Alkmaar in the game.
Tottenham doubled their lead shortly after the restart. Pape Matar Sarr drove forward and found Son, who set up James Maddison to score. However, AZ Alkmaar responded, capitalizing on a defensive mix-up between Lucas Bergvall and Sarr, with Peer Koopmeiners scoring to bring the Dutch side back into contention.
Tottenham quickly restored their aggregate lead in the 74th minute. Son orchestrated the attack, releasing Djed Spence down the left, whose cross was flicked on by Solanke for Odobert to score his second of the night.
AZ Alkmaar’s Troy Parrott nearly scored on his return to his boyhood club, but Guglielmo Vicario made a brilliant save, and Mees de Wit’s rebound was cleared off the line. Tottenham then controlled the remaining minutes, securing their passage to the quarter-finals.
AZ Alkmaar’s fightback proved insufficient, and they extended their record of losing all ten of their away European matches in England. Tottenham’s victory provides a welcome success in their European campaign, keeping their hopes alive for a trophy this season.
