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E-mail Xinhua, January 24, 2025
Tottenham Hotspur withstood Hoffenheim's comeback effort in a 3-2 victory in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.
The visitors caught Hoffenheim flat-footed three minutes into the match when Pedro Porro's through ball allowed James Maddison to slot home from 13 meters.
Hoffenheim looked vulnerable at the back and a Maddison-led counterattack allowed Son Heung-min to double the lead on 22 minutes.
The second goal was a wake-up call for Hoffenheim, as Max Moerstedt and Tom Bischof sent the first warnings on the stroke of halftime.
After the restart, Hoffenheim continued to push forward and Andrej Kramaric's header hit the crossbar before Bischof fired over from a promising position.
Hoffenheim's efforts paid off in the 68th minute when David Jurasek's square pass into the box found Anton Stach, who slotted home from close range.
Spurs restored their two-goal advantage on 77 minutes through Son, who fired past Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann from a tight angle.
Hoffenheim pulled one back in the 88th minute when substitute David Mokwa nodded home Kramaric's pinpoint cross to make it 3-2.
The result leaves the 28th-ranked Hoffenheim needing a win at Anderlecht in their final game and relying on positive results elsewhere to keep their play-off hopes alive.
"We are disappointed with the result. After a poor start, we fought our way back into the game, but in the end, it wasn't enough," commented Hoffenheim head coach Christian Ilzer.
"It was important to win today. My goals are the result of a fantastic team effort," remarked Tottenham captain Son.
Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt recorded their fifth win after beating Ferencvaros 2-0 through second-half goals from Can Uzun and Hugo Ekitike. The win lifts the Eagles into second place, while Ferencvaros slips to 22nd.
