Tottenham Hotspur 3–1 (3–2) AZ Alkmaar Player Ratings: Clinical Wilson Odobert Inspires Spurs to Europa League Quarter-Finals

Tottenham Hotspur picked up a clinical 3-1 win over AZ Alkmaar at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday (March 13, 2025) to progress into the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League. A brace from youngster Wilson Odobert and a James Maddison goal helped Spurs turn around the 1-0 deficit from the first leg, winning the tie 3-2 on aggregate and keeping their European dreams alive.

Ange Postecoglou urged his players to play on the front foot from the get-go to have a chance of getting back into the tie quickly. The game, however, had a cagey start as the Dutch side were willing to allow the Lilywhites to dominate the possession.

For the first 25 minutes, it was a case of Spurs keeping control of the ball and trying to move through the wide areas, but failing to properly get the ball into the box. Then, in the 26th minute, it took some impressive pressing from Son Heung-min to force Wouter Goes to make an error, giving the ball to Dominic Solanke in the box and allowing the striker to tee up Odobert’s powerful left-footed shot into the top corner.

Spurs gained more confidence because of the goal, with Son becoming braver in trying to take on the defenders. In the 33rd minute, he darted to outside Alkmaar’s half but saw his save easily denied. He made another troublesome forward run four minutes later, seeing his effort blocked before Lucas Bergvall’s shot went over the bar.

The visitors barely had a sniff at goal in the first half, with Troy Parrott shooting wide from outside the box in the 43rd minute going wide. Spurs worked hard but failed to breach the visitors’ backline before the break. Spurs began the second half in blistering fashion, moving forward quickly to trouble the visitors.

James Maddison helped to double their lead by curling the ball into the back of the net in the 48th minute after linking up nicely with Son Heung-min. However, AZ Alkmaar wouldn’t give up just like that. Troy Parrott had a goalbound block two minutes later and Jordy Clasie’s effort also went astray in the 58th minute.

The visitors were gifted a goal in the 63rd minute when a moment of miscommunication from Odobert and Lucas Bergvall allowed Peer Koopmeiners to blast a shot into the back of the net. Spurs needed one more goal to avoid extra time and were able to inspire a special move for that.

In the 74th minute, a brilliant counter-attack saw Solanke’s sweet flick set up a tap-in for Odobert. AZ Alkmaar pushed hard to force extra time after that, with Parrot’s shot being saved in the 80th minute before Yves Bissouma made a goal-saving block.

A header from substitute Mexx Meerdink went over in the 82nd minute. Despite pushing hard, the Dutch side failed to score one more as Spurs completed an impressive comeback to move forward to the Europa League quarterfinals. Here are Tottenham Hotspur vs AZ Alkmaar Player Ratings.

Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings

GK – Guglielmo Vicario – 5.5/10

Vicario was shaky with his distribution and looked uncomfortable against pressing. Couldn’t do anything about the Alkmaar goal. Made a nice save late on.

RB – Pedro Porro – 7/10

A real positive energy on the right, neutralizing the visitors’ threat with some diligent defending. He popped up with key challenges all game long and won back the ball for the second goal.

CB – Cristian Romero – 6/10

Romero was not as proactive as he normally is, trying to maintain a sharp defensive shape but failing to stand out.

CB – Micky van de Ven – 7.5/10

Van de Ven looked sharp in over a month. Kept Parrott quiet with his sturdy marking and helped recover possession many times with his clever game-reading. Moved the ball around efficiently.

LB – Djed Spence – 7.5/10

Spence was a sturdy figure on the left, frustrating the Dutch side with his impressive defensive work. Helped move the ball forward nicely with clever forward passes and made a great run to deliver a key pass for Odobert’s second.

CM – Lucas Bergvall – 8/10

Bergvall was a real machine in the Spurs midfield, excelling in his deeper role. He constantly won key duels, regained possession and drove his side forward, not allowing the visitors any control from the central areas. Saw his backpass botched by Odobert for their Koopmeiners goal.

CM – Pape Sarr – 6/10

Sarr wasn’t the physical and energetic force he normally is for the Spurs. Lost quite a few key duels and failed to create anything special.

CM – James Maddison – 7.5/10

Maddison played a key role in helping with the build-up play for Spurs, playing smart forward passes to unlock the opponents’ defensive shape. Created a few chances and produced a stellar finish for his goal.

RW – Wilson Odobert – 8.5/10

Odobert had a topsy-turvy outing. He scored an impressive goal with an emphatic finish, but his threat mellowed down after that. Made an amateurish error in diverting a backpass to Koopmeiners’ for his goal. But he also made up for his error with a smart finish for his second goal.

LW – Son Heung-min – 7/10

The Spurs skipper needed some time to get into the game but was an explosive figure after getting settled down. Made several lung-bursting forward runs to torment the visitors and set up Maddison’s goal with a smart pass.

CF – Dominic Solanke – 8/10

Solanke used his physical prowess well to trouble the defenders. He produced two clever passes, including exquisite flicks, to set up Odobert’s goals and was more than happy to be this pivotal linking outlet for his side.

SUB – Archie Gray – 6/10

Gray saw his side concede soon after he came on, but not to his fault. He was defensively proactive, cutting out the visitors’ attacks.

SUB – Yves Bissouma – 6.5/10

Bissouma added more defensive steel to his side and made a crucial goal-saving block.

SUB – Brennan Johnson – 6/10

Helped his side press the opposition players well.

SUB – Ben Davies – N/R

Helped his side see out the result.

Manager – Ange Postecoglou – 7.5/10

The Spurs boss made a brave decision to start with a young winger like Wilson Odobert, but it ended up being justified as he scored a brace. He motivated his side to produce a thrilling, high-octane display in which they constantly drove forward and were clinical with their counter-attacks. The defensive issues need fixing, but his smart decision-making helped move Spurs forward.

AZ Alkmaar Player Ratings

GK – Rome Owusu-Oduro – 5.5/10

The young Dutch goalkeeper had a forgettable visit to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. He was caught in bad positions for Spurs’ goals and couldn’t make any major saves.

RB – Seiya Maikuma – 5/10

Maikuma started the game sharply but started losing his resolve against the unpredictable Son. He often lost the mark of the Spurs winger, getting tricked into bad positions.

CB – Wouter Goes – 3/10

The 20-year-old centre-back buckled under the pressure and ended up with a sloppy performance. He relinquished possession for Odobert’s first goal, failed to mark Maddison for the second, and was outwitted by Solanke for the third.

CB – Alexandre Penetra – 6/10

Penetra did a better job than Goes, making 14 clearances to frustrate the visitors. Found in a bad position for Odobert’s second.

LB – David Moller Wolfe – 4.5/10

The young Norwegian full-back was ousted by Odobert on the night and failed to mark him properly. He lost his mark for both his goals and struggled with his movement too.

CM – Zico Buurmeester – 6/10

Buurmeester was a proactive figure in midfield, helping win back possession quite a few times for his side and adding more steel to his midfield.

CM – Peer Koopmeiners – 7.5/10

Koopmeiners acted as a real livewire in the AZ Alkmaar midfield, covering a lot of ground to contribute in both halves of the pitch. Scored a nice goal with a powerful finish and worked hard defensively to regain possession many times.

CM – Jody Clasie – 5/10

The Dutch side’s skipper failed to provide much defensive stability, often being outwitted and left in bad positions by the Spurs midfielders.

RW – Ibrahim Sadiq – 4.5/10

Sadiq won some duels in the Spurs half but lacked any thrust or influence in his side’s attacking moves. Failed to create anything and was substituted at halftime.

LW – Ernest Poku – 5.5/10

Poku had a tough time dealing with the rock-solid Spence, not being able to get the better of him at all. Couldn’t create anything noteworthy.

CF – Troy Parrott – 5.5/10

The ex-Tottenham striker was almost invisible in the first half. Grew into the game after the break, but saw his explosive attempts denied well.

SUB – Mees de Wit – 5.5/10

De Wit had a nice chance after coming on but saw his attempt blocked. Linked up well but failed to provide that final spark.

SUB – Kees Smit – 6/10

The midfielder helped add more drive and energy to his side’s midfield, helping them move the ball forward more smoothly.

SUB – Maxx Meerdink – 5/10

Meerdink got at the end of some promising chances but failed to convert them.

SUB – Kristijan Belic – N/R

Manager – Maarten Martens – 5/10

Martens was perhaps a bit too regressive with his approach, but his defence-first approach didn’t work. His inexperienced backline made too many errors and couldn’t deal with Spurs’ pressing. His substitutes failed to impress either.

Sportsdunia’s Man of the Match for this game was Wilson Odobert.