Tottenham Hotspur overturned a first leg deficit to beat AZ Alkmaar 3-2 on aggregate and book their place in the Europa League quarter-finals.
Goals from Wilson Odobert and James Maddison looked to set Spurs on their way, before AZ's Peer Koopmeiners brought the tie level in the 63rd minute. However, Odobert found the back of the net again with 15 minutes remaining to seal a crucial victory.
It is the first time they have reached the Europa League quarter-finals since the 2012/13 campaign. They will face Eintracht Frankfurt, who beat Ajax 6-2 on aggregate.
Spurs' season — and even Ange Postecoglou's job — was riding on this match. They sit 13th in the Premier League and this acts as their only opportunity to return to the Champions League.
They could have floundered under the pressure, but Spurs showcased how 'Ange Ball' – when clicking – can be effective. Odobert's opener, his first for the club, in the 27th minute came as a result of their high press.
In the second half, Maddison's 48th-minute strike saw Spurs elegantly move the ball from back to front, whilst the same happened for Odobert's winner in the 75th minute.
They were far from perfect — Koopmeiner's goal which temporarily brought the tie level in the second half came as a result of miscommunication from Odobert and Lucas Bergvall at the back — but this performance prolongs Spurs' hope for the campaign, and Postecoglou's managerial position.
Story of the Match
Tottenham made four changes from their team that drew 2-2 with Bournemouth at the weekend. Micky van de Ven, replacing the injured Kevin Danso, and Cristian Romero started alongside one another for just the second time since October 30th.
AZ, who didn't play at the weekend, made just one change; winger Ibrahim Sadiq replaced the injured Mayckel Lahdo.
With an electric atmosphere behind them, Spurs started with a high intensity that saw them have 73% possession in the opening 20 minutes. They failed to translate that into a single clear-cut chance early on, though.
'Ange Ball' has been under fire recently with Spurs 13th in the Premier League, but – when clicking – it focuses heavily on high pressing. Spurs showcased that 27 minutes in and they reaped the rewards to level the tie on aggregate.
Heung-Min Son pressed high and blocked Wouter Goes' clearance. It landed directly at Dominic Solanke's feet, who remained composed to set up Odobert. The Frenchman made no mistake with a confident finish into the top right corner to score his first Spurs goal.
Spurs continued to dominate proceedings in the first half, but they did start to make a few needless mistakes in their own defensive third. While AZ never threatened, it proved that the hosts needed to keep their pressure on with the aggregate score level at half-time.
After the break, they did exactly that and led on aggregate for the first time within three minutes. They dispossessed AZ in the middle of the park and broke quickly. Maddison sprayed it out wide to Son, with the South Korean returning it to the playmaker within the box. He found space to curl a delightful effort into the bottom right corner.
Losing on aggregate for the first time, AZ tried to fight back. Jordy Clasie placed a low effort from the edge of the box narrowly wide of the left post just before the hour mark, and they were eventually rewarded in the 64th minute.
AZ gifted Spurs their opening goal of the night — and Spurs returned the favour this time around. Bergvall's back pass on the edge of their own box accidentally hit teammate Odobert, with Koopmeiners capitalising. He picked up possession and fired a powerful strike past Guglielmo Vicario.
It eventually turned into a tennis match — back and forth AZ and Spurs went looking for the lead on aggregate — and eventually the hosts 'took a set' with 15 minutes to go.
Spurs moved the ball from back to front brilliantly via a stunning turn and run deep in their own half. He sprayed it out wide, with Son finding Djed Spence on the overlap. The full-back played a low ball into the box to Solanke and his stunning flick set up Odobert at the back post to tap home.
Considered a contender for Spurs' goal of the season, they had control in the tie once again, but they were forced to valiantly defend for the final 15 minutes.
In quick succession, Vicario denied Troy Parrott with a firm save whilst Yves Bissouma produced a stunning last-ditch block to ruin Mees de Mit's dreams. Met with a raucous applause by the home fans, Spurs gave it everything — and eventually held on to book their place in the quarter-finals.
Player of the Match – James Maddison
When Maddison is at his best, there are very few better. After a quiet first half, he came to life in the second period, making it 2-0 in the 48th minute before being at the heart of Spurs' third goal.
His dazzling turn and run set Spurs on their way before Odobert tapped it home — and, when you need moments of magic in big matches, he provided exactly that.