Hoffenheim 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur: Europa League – as it happened

Submitted by daniel on Thu, 23/01/2025 - 16:27

From 2d ago

Jacob Steinberg has filed his match report from the PreZero Arena:

A bit more time enjoying Hoffenheim’s hospitality and all of Tottenham’s problems probably would have faded away. After all Christian Ilzer’s struggling side certainly seemed intent on doing everything in their power to ease Spurs back to good health here, displaying such incompetence in defence that it would not be wise to conclude that Ange Postecoglou is out of the woods just yet.

What to make of a neurotic victory over the team sitting fourth from bottom in the Bundesliga? The positive for an injury-hit Spurs is that they were stylish at first, going 2-0 up with goals from James Maddison and Son Heung-min. They also saw off a fightback from Hoffenheim after half-time, Son sealing the points with a clinical strike, and were resilient enough to boost their chances of avoiding a two-legged playoff to reach the Europa League knockouts by surviving a nervy finale with four teenagers on the pitch at the end.

Much more here:

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And that’s all from me. Bye!

Jacob Steinberg has filed his match report from the PreZero Arena:

Much more here:

“It could be a remarkable season for Tottenham. They could win a couple of trophies,” says Owen Hargreaves on TNT. I’ll have what he’s having.

Updated at 21.04 CET

And here’s Ange Postecoglou!

Credit to the boys. Outstanding first half, played really well. We looked a bit tired in the second half but we hung on. We had the schoolboys out there at the end. It was a great victory.

In the context of the game we knew if we could score early it would allow us to get a real good foothold in the game. Son was brilliant. The senior boys all stood up. They needed to, playing away in Europe with such an inexperienced team.

I’ve just told them to enjoy it. Irrespective of the situation we’re in, winning away in Europe gives us a good foothold in those top eight spots which will give us a week off, of respite from the schedule we’ve had, and we’re probably going to need it.

There was some encouragement here for Spurs, more than anything in the performance of Richarlison, who only once this season has played as many as today’s 58 minutes, worked pretty hard, and looked bright in the first half-hour before fading a bit. Davies brought height and nous to their defence. Players returning from injury makes a pleasant change.

In their final league game next week they host Elfsborg, who are currently 26th. A win sends them cantering into the knockout rounds, leaving playoffs for the riff-raff.

The latest Europa League table looks like this:

Scott Murray will type you through Manchester United v Rangers, if you’re up for more:

Nearly final scores: Two games (italicised) are still ongoing, with the one at Qarabag deep into stoppage time and Fenerhahce still just about in normal time. Here are the scores as they stand:

Alkmaar 1-0 Roma

Bodo/Glimt 3-1 Maccabi Tel Aviv

*Fenerbahce 0-0 Lyon

Hoffenheim 2-3 Tottenham

Malmo 2-3 Twente

Porto 0-1 Olympiacos

*Qarabag 2-3 Steaua Bucharest

Viktoria Plzen 2-0 Anderlecht

Final score: Hoffenheim 2-3 Tottenham

Updated at 21.02 CET

GOAL! Hoffenheim 2-3 Tottenham (Mokwa, 88 mins)

Game back on! It’s a great cross from Kramaric on the right, and it dips onto the head of the substitute David Mokwa, who heads in from the far corner of the six-yard box!

Updated at 20.38 CET

GOAL! Hoffenheim 1-3 Tottenham (Son, 77 mins)

N’Soki’s terrible pass gives Kulusevski the ball in the centre circle, and it’s swiftly worked through Moore to Son, who jinks his way into space before shooting low with his left foot beyond Baumann and in at the far post!

Updated at 20.27 CET

GOAL! Hoffenheim 1-2 Tottenham (Stach, 68 mins)

It’s been coming, and now it’s come! Stach starts the break with a fine pass out to Kramaric from his own half and from there he keeps running. Kramaric passes on to Jurasek, and his low cross from the left finds Stach six yards out. His finish is not at all convincing, but the ball spins in at the back stick!

Updated at 20.16 CET

No penalty!

Hoffenheim have a penalty!

Updated at 20.12 CET

The players are back out! No halftimely changes by the look of things.

Half time: Hoffenheim 0-2 Tottenham

Link

Hoffenheim 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur: Europa League – as it happened - The Guardian

The Guardian