Tottenham Takes Top Spot in Europa League with Win Over AZ Alkmaar
The first half was marked by a lack of clinical finishing from both sides, despite Spurs enjoying the majority of possession. Tottenham began brightly, creating early chances, including a near miss from Mikey Moore, whose header from Timo Werner’s cross went wide in the opening minutes. AZ’s first real opportunity came after 29 minutes when defender Tiago Penetra’s powerful header from a corner was brilliantly saved by Tottenham goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
Spurs also had a moment of controversy when VAR was called into action after James Maddison appeared to be brought down by Penetra in the box, but no penalty was awarded. Despite their dominance, Spurs went into half-time without a goal. Werner had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock after being played in by Lucas Bergvall, but his shot lacked conviction and was easily collected by AZ goalkeeper Owusu-Oduro.
The second half saw Spurs come out with renewed intensity, and they were soon rewarded. In the 51st minute, Maddison was brought down in the box by AZ defender Dekker, and the referee pointed to the spot. Richarlison stepped up and calmly slotted the penalty down the middle, sending Owusu-Oduro the wrong way to give Tottenham the lead.
AZ struggled to find their rhythm and were nearly punished again when Richarlison set up Bergvall for what looked like a certain goal, but the Swede couldn’t finish from close range. Spurs continued to press, and Moore frequently caused problems down the left flank.
AZ had a few chances to level the game, with their best opportunity falling to Ibrahim Lahdo in the 74th minute. The forward broke free after a neat exchange with Troy Parrott, but Forster once again came to Spurs’ rescue, making a crucial save to preserve their lead.
The game became more physical in the closing stages, with several players going into the referee’s book. AZ’s Moller Wolfe saw red in the 85th minute for a second yellow card after a clumsy challenge on Brennan Johnson, leaving the visitors down to 10 men for the final minutes.
Tottenham nearly doubled their lead in stoppage time when substitute Wilson Odobert weaved his way through the AZ defence, only to see his effort slide across the face of goal. Despite this, Spurs comfortably saw out the final moments of the match to secure the win.
