Ange Postecoglou can breathe again. Tottenham’s manager had been hoping for a hero to step up and rescue their season, and Wilson Odobert delivered, with a crucial assist from James Maddison.
When Maddison made it 2-0 early in the second half after Odobert’s well-taken first goal for the club, it seemed like Tottenham were cruising towards a last-eight clash with Eintracht Frankfurt. However, the match took a dramatic turn when a mistake from Odobert allowed Peer Koopmeiners to level the scores on aggregate with 20 minutes remaining, leaving the home crowd on edge. But Odobert responded, finishing off a flowing move initiated by Maddison to send Tottenham into the Europa League quarter-finals for the first time since 2013.
“We made it more nervy than we needed to,” admitted Postecoglou. “It was a big night for us, and I couldn’t be happier with the way the players handled it. We looked strong, dominant, and threatening in the final third all the things we want to be.”
After a disappointing first-leg defeat in the Netherlands, Postecoglou had promised to give the home supporters something to cheer for, and his team delivered. Son Heung-min, at 32, proved instrumental in Odobert’s winner, covering every blade of grass and earning a celebratory embrace from his manager at the final whistle.
Lucas Bergvall, playing in a holding midfield role in place of the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur, impressed before being forced off with a suspected injury five minutes from full time. Meanwhile, the return of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven in central defense provided much-needed stability, as the duo had not started together since December due to injuries. Their presence was evident, as Tottenham conceded shortly after Van de Ven was replaced by Archie Gray in what seemed like a pre-planned substitution. “That disrupted us a bit,” Postecoglou admitted.
AZ Alkmaar, the last Dutch side left in European competition after Ajax’s elimination earlier in the evening, had never won an away match against English opposition in ten previous attempts. They defended well for over 25 minutes, but their resistance broke when Wouter Goes came under pressure from Son. His block ricocheted into Dominic Solanke’s path, and the striker set up Odobert for a curling finish his first goal since scoring for Burnley against Luton in August. Postecoglou, in a rare display of emotion, celebrated with a fist pump.
AZ struggled to break through Tottenham’s defense but had a brief moment of danger when Zico Buurmeester fired wide after a Tottenham error. The home side then survived another scare early in the second half when Guglielmo Vicario had to execute a last-ditch Cruyff turn in his own area to evade Troy Parrott after lingering too long on the ball.
The tension soon turned to joy when Pedro Porro won possession and found Son, who combined with Maddison before the midfielder finished clinically. Postecoglou’s arms shot into the air in celebration, though he soon had cause for concern when Romero had to block a goalbound shot from Parrott moments later.
Van de Ven was then called into action to deny Ernest Poku after Romero’s misplaced pass from a free-kick put Tottenham in danger. However, disaster struck soon after Van de Ven’s departure when Odobert, appearing to win back possession, inadvertently set up Koopmeiners, who took full advantage to fire past Vicario.
With the momentum shifting, AZ sensed an opportunity, but Tottenham had the final say. Maddison and Odobert combined again to restore the lead, and a goalline clearance from Yves Bissouma in injury-time sealed the victory. A relieved Postecoglou can now start planning for the next challenge as Tottenham continue their European journey.
