Tottenham advance to Europa League quarter-finals, Maddison looks forward to the next challenge

In the second round of the UEFA Europa League 2024/25, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Alkmaar 3-1 with two goals from Odobale and a goal from Maddison, and successfully advanced to the quarterfinals. Maddison said that he and the team are looking forward to the next challenge, and praised his teammate Odobale for his outstanding performance.

In the 26th minute, Solanke received the pass from Son Heung-min and passed it horizontally. Odobale seized the opportunity and shot the ball into the goal, helping Tottenham Hotspur to take the lead 1-0 and the total score became 1-1.

In the 48th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min made a cross from the penalty area and Maddison scored with a long shot, helping Tottenham Hotspur continue to lead Alkmaar 2-0. In the 63rd minute, Lucas Bergwal made a mistake, and Pierre Kupmenas took the ball and shot directly into the goal, helping Alkmaar to pull back 1-2.

In the 74th minute, Solanke assisted Odobale again with a low shot to help Tottenham Hotspur expand their lead to 3 to 1. In the end, Tottenham Hotspur eliminated Alkmaar with a total score of 3 to 2 at home and successfully obtained a ticket to the quarterfinals of the Europa League.

Maddison, who scored for Tottenham Hotspur, said, "We have advanced, which is exactly the goal we set in the two-legged match. Last week's performance caused a lot of discussion, and we also faced it honestly, knowing that the performance in that game was not good enough. But I am very clear about the strength of the team and completed the task. Of course, we have not achieved real success yet. We have only reached the quarterfinals. We have to keep working hard next, and we are looking forward to the next challenge."

“We’ve been talking about injuries and the absence of key players over the past few months, but when we stood in the tunnel, we saw a mature and determined team. It really makes a difference when the center of the team is supported by experienced players who have played at this level for many years.”

Madison also said, "Van der Ven and Romero played very solidly in defense. The team played very solidly throughout the game and we deserved to advance."

"Odobale got a lot of attention, and rightly so, and both of his goals were dangerous. I thought he played really well, so give him a big pat on the back."