Tottenham recorded an important 3-2 win over Hoffenheim in a Europa League thriller at the Preziro Arena.

Goals from James Maddison and Heung-min Son gave Spurs an early lead and despite a spirited second-half fightback from the hosts, Son’s second goal sealed victory 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 Porro provided the pinpoint assist, threading the ball through the Hoffenheim defense to find Maddison, who finished past goalkeeper Oliver Baumann.

The England international’s goal was Spurs’ fastest in Europe this season and set the tone for a dominant first-half performance.

Tottenham doubled their lead in the 22nd minute. Maddison was involved again, defending a sloppy Hoffenheim to set up captain Son Heung-min.

The South Korean’s left-footed strike took a wicked deflection, looping over Bowman and into the net.

A special night for Sony ✨ pic.twitter.com/X2CHbIodo2

– Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 23, 2025

The visitors could have added to their tally before the break with both Richarlison and Son going close, but they went into half-time with a comfortable 2-0 advantage.

The second half saw a completely different Hoffenheim side. Cheered on by their home supporters, the German outfit pressed Tottenham continuously and created numerous chances.

Their persistence paid off when Anton Stache found the net in the 68th minute.

A quick counter-attack led to David Jurasek delivering a low cross, which Stache expertly converted to give Hoffenheim a lifeline.

The goal marked the end of a long scoring drought for Hoffenheim in the Europa League, and the momentum shifted firmly in their favour.

Tottenham pulled themselves back, with Hoffenheim in possession and wave after wave of attack.

Krameric came close with a looping header that hit the crossbar, while a penalty appeal involving goalkeeper Brandon Austin was overturned after a VAR check.

Despite Hoffenheim’s best efforts, Tottenham weathered the storm and struck the decisive blow in the 77th minute. Youngster Mickey Moore, who had earlier replaced Richarlison, provided the assist for Son’s second goal of the night.

Rodrigo Bentanker started the move by playing the ball to Moore, who released Son with a perfectly weighted pass.

The Spurs captain raced into the box and fired a low shot past Baumann to restore the two-goal cushion.

David Ngabi Mokwa Ntusu headed home to make it 2-3 with minutes to go and stoppage time still to come.

But the visitors looked things up as they edged closer to qualifying from their Europa League group, while Hoffenheim were left to rue their missed chances as they continued their struggles in the competition.