PARIS: Son Heung-min helped Tottenham gain some respite from their Premier League woes on Thursday with a double in a 3-2 Europa League win at Hoffenheim to put them on course for the knockout rounds.
Goals from Son and James Maddison lifted Spurs up to provisional fourth in the revamped league phase of European club football’s second-tier competition ahead of the night’s later games.
It also lifted some of the heat off manager Ange Postecoglou with his injury-ravaged team arriving in Germany after losing seven of their last Premier League games.
Postecoglou had pledged to win silverware for the first time for the London side since 2008 in his second season as boss.
With Spurs struggling in 15th behind Liverpool at home that leaves the Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup to fulfil his promise.
A win against Swedish outfit Elfsborg in their closing league phase game at home next week will give them an automatic ticket to the next round as one of the top eight finishers.
“I told them to enjoy it,” Postecoglou told TNT Sports.
“Winning away in Europe, it’s a significant victory for us and gives us a good foothold to get into those top eight spots which will give us a week off,” the Australian added.
They charged out of the stalls with Maddison receiving a pinpoint pass from Pedro Porro to fire the ball past keeper Oliver Baumann and into the roof of the net to give Spurs the perfect start after just four minutes.
Richarlison, making only his second start of the campaign, could have doubled the advantage but the Brazilian’s shot went straight to Baumann.
Attacking at will Spurs were looking to put the game to bed against their out of sorts German hosts.
And on 22 minutes Maddison turned provider to set up Son whose shot deflected off a defender, the ball flying over Baumann and into the far corner.
The big problem for Spurs given their leaky defense was to hold onto their superiority.
Brandon Austin started in goal for them, two weeks after making his debut, and was called on to make a full-stretched save to deny Tom Bischof as half-time beckoned.
VAR overturned a penalty decision to Hoffenheim after the hour when Austin collided into Max Moerstedt.
With the wind in their sails Hoffenheim halved their deficit minutes later when Spurs got caught on the counter, Anton Stach toeing the ball past Austin.
But Son’s angled shot with 13 minutes left on the clock settled the issue, although David Mokwa’s goal two minutes from normal time meant another nerve-jangling ending for Tottenham’s long-suffering supporters.
Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce drew 0-0 at third-placed Lyon to lift the Turkish side provisionally 19th and the door open to make the play-offs.
In the 2000 GMT kick-offs Manchester United host Rangers and table toppers Lazio play Real Sociedad.
Two Real Sociedad fans were taken to hospital after their group was apparently attacked by hardcore Lazio supporters ahead of the match at the Olympic stadium in Rome, the Spanish club said.
Son helps Spurs hold off Hoffenheim in Europa League
https://arab.news/wscky
Son helps Spurs hold off Hoffenheim in Europa League
- Goals from Son and James Maddison lifted Spurs up to provisional fourth
- It also lifted some of the heat off manager Ange Postecoglou with his injury-ravaged team
Napoli cruise past Milan to book Italian Super Cup final spot in Riyadh
- Napoli make second Super Cup final in new four-team format, which was introduced in the Kingdom in 2023
- Milan rue missed chances as Rafael Leao’s absence due to knock proves costly
RIYADH: On one of the coldest evenings of the year in Riyadh, the atmosphere inside Al-Awwal Park was anything but subdued. Thousands of fans braved the conditions to witness another major chapter in Saudi Arabia’s growing international calendar, as Napoli and AC Milan went head-to-head in the first semi-final of the 2025/26 Italian Super Cup.
It wasn’t to be for I Rossoneri, as goals from David Neres and Rasmus Hojlund proved decisive for Napoli, sending them into the Super Cup final for the second time in the new four-team format after missing out on last year’s edition.
Backed by raucous Forza Milan chants, Milan nearly opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Ruben Loftus-Cheek tested Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who reacted sharply to make a vital save.
Napoli responded with a spell of pressure of their own, but were repeatedly denied by a well-organised Milan defence.
Milan came close again in the 34th minute, as Adrien Rabiot was found inside the six-yard box from a dipping cross, only for his effort to fly over Milinkovic-Savic.
They would keep that momentum going as just a few minutes later, a swift counter-attack led by Alexis Saelemaekers found Christopher Nkunku on the edge of the box, though his strike also flew over goal.
Napoli punished Milan’s missed chances in the 39th minute. A low pass from Rasmus Hojlund across the box was parried by Mike Maignan straight into the path of David Neres, who made no mistake slotting the ball into the open net.
Napoli pushed for a second before the interval, with Hojlund testing Maignan again, who turned the striker’s effort behind for a corner. The Milan goalkeeper was called into action once again in the second half, producing a strong save to deny Amir Rrahmani.
Yet it was another powerful strike that finally broke past the Frenchman, with Rasmus Hojlund capitalising on a deep through ball from Leonardo Spinazzola to extend Napoli’s lead in the 63rd minute and tighten their grip on the game.
Milan fans briefly found a lift in the 75th minute when Luka Modric came out to a standing ovation, though it proved to be their only notable moment of the second half. Despite enjoying spells of possession, Massimiliano Allegri’s side were unable to break through and exited the tournament after just 90 minutes.
Napoli will now turn their attention to the final, where they will look to lift the Italian Super Cup for the third time in their history. For Riyadh, the semi-final marked another night of elite European football, with fans set to witness more action in tomorrow’s semi-final between Bologna and Inter Milan.
