Tottenham Hotspur

Jan Paul Van Hecke in profile  Tottenham Hotspur

‘Lolo’ played the full 90 minutes on what was a sweltering evening at the home of the Miami Dolphins, and executed a perfect last-ditch challenge on former Nottingham Forest striker Nuno da Costa in stoppage time to ensure the game finished level.

It was Cape Verde who kick-started an entertaining affair, scoring their first-ever World Cup goal in the 21st minute through a tremendous 35-yard free-kick by Krasnodar midfielder Kevin Pina.

A dramatic end to the first half saw Uruguay lead at the break, however, with Maxi Araujo’s diving header pulling La Celeste level with one minute of regular time to go, before Agustin Canobbio pounced on a ball into the box to take the lead in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

The African side got back on level terms in the 61st minute after a misplaced pass by Napoli’s Mathias Olivera was picked up by substitute Helio Varela, who poked the ball past an onrushing Fernando Muslera in the Uruguay goal.

Cape Verde had the chance to take all three points after a well-crafted counter-attack in the fifth minute of stoppage time, but our number 30’s tackle was crucial in keeping the game level.

Da Costa received the ball on the edge of the penalty area and found his way out of a tackle by the last Uruguay defender, Sebastian Caceres, but just as he was preparing to test Muslera, Lolo burst into the box and pushed the ball out for a corner.

Following the draw, Uruguay sit second in Group H, below Pedro Porro’s Spain by two points and above yesterday’s opponents on goals scored heading into their final group match against the Spanish at Guadalajara Stadium in the early hours of next Saturday morning (27 June, 1am BST).

From playing against boys when she was younger to achieving a lifelong dream as a Spurs player from when she first stood in the stands at the iconic White Hart Lane in 2014, it has been some journey for the 21-year-old Norway international with her dad alongside her at every step.

When conducting her media duties as a Spurs player for the first time last summer, the powerhouse forward revealed her affiliation with the club having travelled to north London in October, 2014 to watch a Europea League fixture at our iconic former home.

Mesmerised by her experience in the stands and watching under the lights, she turned to her dad at that point and said, ‘I will play here one day’ where she stood true to her promise all those years later.

Now, having completed her first season as a Lilywhite, where she has become a fan favourite among our supporters for her passion on and off the pitch, Tinka and her dad took a stroll around Hotspur Way to reflect on the moment she knew a move to Spurs would become a reality and how her dad reacted to the news.

“England had always been my dream and I always followed Spurs,” our number 19 explained. “As soon as my agent called me and told me about Spurs, my dad had been really important in that process because I really appreciate his thoughts, so we were both like ‘you have to do it and that's what you have to choose, it’s been your dream your whole life so you can't miss this.’

“So, when the opportunity came for me, it was no doubt and after talking to the club as well, it just felt like home.

“I called my mom and dad on FaceTime and they were both crying because it was like very tight in the last few hours, it was on the last day of the transfer window, but then we all were just so happy.

“It was like relief and great because you actually achieved what you worked for so hard for so many years,” Joachim added.

Scoring three goals in her first five games in the Women’s Super League, Tinka enjoyed a strong start to her career in Lilywhite and eventually completed her maiden campaign with six in total to finish as our third leading goalscorer in all competitions.

One standout from her first year at the club, alongside her goalscoring abilities, has been her aggression across the opponent’s backline and to make her presence known – and her dad revealed those attributes came from her early years of playing football.

“She always had the temper and she was pretty strong, so she was actually more or less one of the guys,” he told us.

“I remember often when I played with the girls, especially if I shoot really hard, they said ‘you can't shoot that hard’ or ‘you can't tackle or anything like that’ but when I played with the boys, you can shoot how hard you want and be how tough you want,” Tinka then added.

“My dad has been to every game since I was young so he's just there to watch the game and watch me play but he can stand on whatever pitch and I can hear him scream from the stands - that's where I got my what you say winning vitality and my aggression from, but I think that's a good thing as you need that in football.”

The defender played the full 90 minutes at Atlanta Stadium, in what was his major tournament debut for La Roja and his 19th total international cap.

Star man Lamine Yamal opened the scoring 10 minutes in for the European champions, who were held to a draw by Cape Verde in their opening match, which was also in Atlanta on Monday (15 June).

Mikel Oyarzabal soon extended their lead, poking in from close range after 21 minutes before popping up at the far post for his second just three minutes later.

Pedro had an involvement in the Real Sociedad forward’s second strike, finding Marc Cucurella in the opposition’s penalty area, who picked out Dani Olmo before he sent a header across goal, which was pounced on by Oyarzabal.

Spain got their fourth four minutes into the second half, with a corner being bundled in by Saudi defender Hassan Al Tambakti in the aftermath of a save from a Marc Cucurella strike by goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais.

Our number 23 had the chance to further extend their lead five minutes later after being put through on goal by fellow defender Pau Cubarsi, but Pedro’s low strike was well saved by Al Owais.

The three points put Luis de la Fuente’s side at the top of Group H before the game between Cape Verde and Uruguay tonight (11pm BST on BBC One), which wraps up the second round of fixtures for the group.

An important final game for Pedro and his teammates then follows against Uruguay, and Rodrigo Bentancur, as they look to win a World Cup group for just the second time since being crowned champions in 2010.

Pedro and Lolo will face off in the early hours of next Saturday morning (27 June, 1am BST) at Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico.

The defensive duo both started the Group F clash in Houston and went on to complete the full 90 minutes as the Dutch put one foot into the knockout stages of the competition with the win.

Storming into a 2-0 lead thanks to Sunderland's Brian Brobbey, who scored twice within the opening 20 minutes, Liverpool's Cody Gakpo then added a brace of his own the other side of the break before the introduction of Lucas Bergvall, who had started as a substitute for Sweden, on 55 minutes.

Within four minutes of his arrival, his side had hit back with a goal of their own through Newcastle United's Anthony Elanga, but the Netherlands went on to confirm their victory with two minutes left as West Ham United's Crysencio fired in his second of the tournament.

The win puts the Netherlands top of Group F with one game to be played. They face Tunisia at midnight (UK) this coming Friday while Sweden, who sit (second), will kick-off against Japan at the same time.

Choose your all-time Spurs World Cup XI

Moving forwards, the central midfielder will wear the number eight jersey, switching from his previous number 22 shirt, which he had worn since arriving from Atletico Madrid in January.

“It’s an honour to wear the number eight shirt,” Conor said.

“I’ve never actually worn it at club level in my career, so I’m excited – it’s always been my favourite number. Some of my favourite footballers growing up also wore eight, so I’m looking forward to pulling on the jersey for this fantastic club. I’m hoping for a big season and to make our fans proud.”

The number eight shirt had become vacant following Yves Bissouma’s departure from the club this summer.

Supporters are reminded that, aside from Conor and new signing Marcos Senesi, who has been confirmed to wear number five, squad numbers for all players remain subject to change, with the full finalised list to be confirmed when the club submits its final squad list to the Premier League prior to the opening weekend of the 2026/27 season. Supporters who have purchased our newly-released 2026/27 Home and Away kits from the official Spurs Shop website with Gallagher 22 personalisation since Friday morning’s launch will see their orders processed with Conor’s new squad number. As always, please refer to the terms and conditions at point of sale when purchasing any replica shirt personalisation.

Scotland, who topped Group C after the opening round of fixtures following a 1-0 win over Haiti that ended a 36-year run without a World Cup win, were victims of an electric start by Morocco, which saw them fall behind after just 71 seconds.

PSV forward Ismael Saibari, who also gave the Atlas Lions a first-half lead against Brazil in their opening game before Vinicius Junior’s stunning equaliser, caught the Scottish defence napping, putting his country in front with the fastest goal of the tournament so far.

Morocco’s sole striker positioned himself between centre-backs Grant Hanley and Jack Hendry and burst through on goal after running on to Brahim Diaz’s ball from deep, before firing past Angus Gunn and into the top corner.

Despite a late rally where Lyndon Dykes and Scott McTominay both had chances inside the penalty area, it wasn’t to be for the Tartan Army, who would’ve qualified for the knockout stages for the first time in their history with a victory.

Next up for ‘Robbo’ and his teammates is a battle with five-time winners Brazil in Miami on Wednesday, 24 June (11pm BST). A win over Carlo Ancelotti’s side will guarantee their place in the knockout rounds, while it is also still possible that they can make the last 32 without a win, due to eight of the 12 third-placed teams making up the full bracket.

SPURSPLAY

The sound of our new Nike 2026/27 home and away kit, the track is N17.

Dreamt of, crafted and produced in Tottenham, ‘Homegrown’ is a song about our community, for our community, with Nippa, a 26-year-old, Economics graduate and Spurs fan, who was born and raised just off White Hart Lane, the voice and artist behind it.

A song with purpose, of unity but crucially resilience, overcoming the odds, the tough times and coming out on top. It speaks to Tottenham.

And with Nippa’s style that of soulful R&B, his smooth, velvety delivery of the single, it perhaps breaks the mould of what is expected from Tottenham and its renowned music scene which has produced pioneering grime artists like as Skepta, Wretch 32 and JME.

“‘Homegrown’ is definitely a track that is about bringing everyone together, like, throughout the ups and the downs that we go through,” he explained. “Like, we're still homegrown, we're stronger together. This is who we are. This is where we're from. I guess that's what I kind of wanted to portray.

“This song is for the community, and the community involves everyone in the football club and outside the football club. The people who live in White Hart Lane, the people who live in Empire Parade, the people who go to Haringey Sixth Form College - that's where I went. For the people at the Tottenham Foundation. Every one of us who, you know, is born and bred, grew up in Tottenham or even, was born into the football club, Tottenham, loving it.

“I’m all about representing my home, representing where I am from, my people and my community and something that is dear for us is our football club. We're all homegrown. It's a song for all of us.”

The track, which is set to be released next month (July 10), is the sound to kickstart a new dawn, signalling our move into the 2026/27 campaign with a brand-new look in our new home and away kits, while our Premier League fixtures have been revealed.

It is a marker for new beginnings in N17 and a time of reconnection between the Club, its fans, community and heritage.

However, when planning began for this collaboration, the song ‘Homegrown’ wasn’t even an option being considered.

When conversations began with Nippa, whose Spurs idol is Jermain Defoe, ‘Homegrown’ hadn’t been released and plans were focused on another of the singer’s tracks. It was only when the Club’s project was laid out to him, he knew this single was the one. It was meant for this exact moment.

“We wanted to go with a different song at first, but I had this song, I had the song ‘Homegrown’ already,” he explained. “Being able to have this alignment with the Club and for this song in particular, for me, it is like a full circle moment. This is a dream come true. I feel like there was no other time. There was no other song that this could have been for, this was meant to be. This feels like it was meant to be for Tottenham.”

The song is for the community we are part of. And it is the community that inspired this song, especially the incredible efforts of Nippa’s mum, Lisa Dean, who has worked tirelessly to bring the community together, looking after people as a Family Outreach worker with Haringey Council.

Whether it be helping with the Tottenham Carnival, the organisation of PlayDay or hosting afternoon tea meetings at our former home, White Hart Lane, Lisa has always been ready to help the local area.

Seeing the incredible care and passion shown by his mum in our community had a profound effect on Nippa and he attributes her efforts to not just his uber positive outlook on life and love for the community but, most poignantly, his ever-growing sense of responsibility to N17.

“I've lived here all my life, White Hart Lane. I grew up in the community. My mum was heavily involved in Tottenham Carnival and PlayDay in putting all of that together for the community. They would do a lot of visits to the old stadium, White Hart Lane, you know, my mum would hold a lot of like, we call it crèche times, but I think like it's basically like afternoon tea and that, in the stadium. So, she was very much in the community, a community worker and that kind of like, you know, influenced me to really hold the community dear to me and it kind of gave me that kind of ethos of wanting to bring the community together, as I saw my mum do it. And that kind of opened my eyes to it being with Spurs, with anything to do with football because that was, you know, the closest thing to us. The stadium was right around the corner.”

“I started doing music at 21 and from then, how I would make my videos, it would be bringing everyone together, unifying with positivity. I’m a person who loves to give back, for the generation after me. If I can do that with my music or influence and show the community that there are possible ways to do what you are doing with resilience, persistence and hard work.”

“And success for me is knowing that I have been able to spark a new generation in the most positive way I can. To be the best version of myself and continue to be. The best thing for me would be to be able do a show in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. That would be the most full circle moment ever. That is super Homegrown. Like Homegrown times a thousand.”

SPURSPLAY