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Tottenham Hotspur defeated Hoffenheim 3-2 away from home and jumped into the top eight of the Europa League standings.
Anj Postkoglu’s side struggled in ninth place heading into tonight’s game but are now well placed to avoid the two-leg play-offs and reach the last 16 after advancing to fourth place.
James Maddison’s stunning strike in the third minute and Son Heung-min’s deflected shot 20 minutes later put Tottenham in control, but after the restart Hoffenheim wave after wave Moving forward, it’s a tale of two halves.
The pressure seemed to pay off after Brandon Austin was adjudged to have fouled Max Molstetter in the penalty area, but VAR overturned the decision, but the breakthrough came seconds later.
Anton Stach had great hopes of a comeback when he fired the ball into the back of the net, until Son Heung-min soon curled the ball into the far corner for his second shot of the night.
However, in traditional Tottenham fashion, there was late drama.
In Germany, David Mokwa Ntusu scored a header after coming off the bench as the hosts held off Tottenham Hotspur, who used youngster Callum Callum Olusesi and Will Lankshear replaced the experienced Son Heung-min and Maddison until the end of the game.
Tottenham Hotspur have now ended their run of three consecutive games without a win in Europe by holding on for the best scoreline, but their makeshift defense, including left-back Archie Gray, will have to work for it.
Who will Tottenham face now?
tottenham hotspur Currently in fourth place, this means that if they retain this position at the end of the league stage, they will go straight into the last 16 and face the winner of the play-offs 13th, 14th, 19th and 20th.
The team currently filling these positions are rangers (No. 13), Alkmaar (No. 14), Fenerbahçe (No. 19) and Besiktas (20).
When is the Europa League knockout stage?
Knockout rounds: February 13, 2025 and February 20, 2025
Top 16: March 6-13, 2025
Quarterfinals: April 10 and April 17, 2025
Semi-finals: May 1 to May 8, 2025
Final: May 21, 2025
