Wilson Odobert Inspires Tottenham To Europa League Quarter-Finals.
Wilson Odobert scored twice as Tottenham Hotspur overturned a first-leg deficit to defeat AZ Alkmaar and secure a place in the Europa League quarter-finals.
With Spurs languishing in 13th place in the Premier League and already out of both domestic cup competitions, the Europa League represents their last hope of silverware this season. After a disappointing 1-0 defeat in the Netherlands last week, they produced a much-improved performance at home on Thursday.
Odobert, making his mark with his first goal for the club, levelled the tie by firing into the top corner after being picked out by Dominic Solanke. Spurs then took control early in the second half, with James Maddison exchanging passes with Son Heung-min before curling home a fine finish.
However, a mix-up between Odobert and Lucas Bergvall gifted AZ an equaliser on aggregate, as Peer Koopmeiners capitalised with a drilled effort. But Odobert redeemed himself in style, finishing off a brilliant team move with a close-range tap-in to restore Tottenham’s lead.
AZ came close to forcing extra time, but goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario denied Troy Parrott, while Yves Bissouma cleared Mees de Wit’s rebound off the line to preserve the victory.
Tottenham now face Eintracht Frankfurt, who eased past Ajax 6-2 on aggregate, in the quarter-finals as they continue their pursuit of European glory.