It's SONNY DAY!!

Son Heung-min took the lead in the attack, and the younger players finished it off. The survival of the European competition came from the new structure.

Tottenham Hotspur won 3-1 against AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of the 2024-2025 UEFA Europa League round of 16 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. AZ won 1-0 in the first leg. Tottenham survived with an aggregate score of 3-2.

With this, Tottenham advanced to the quarterfinals of the Europa League, continuing their only remaining chance of winning this season. Their quarterfinal opponent is Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany.

Son Heung-min had previously been substituted in the English Premier League (PL) match against Bournemouth and prevented the team's defeat with an explosive run and a successful penalty kick. With this, Tottenham, who had gained momentum, laid the foundation for continuing their upward trend in the match against AZ.

Son Heung-min started as a left winger. Son contributed to Tottenham's first goal in the 26th minute of the first half. Tottenham's pressure aimed at AZ's back pass connection worked. Son Heung-min deflected the ball by pressuring the opposing defender, and the ball rolled to Dominic Solanke. Solanke immediately passed the ball to the side, and Willson Odober kicked it in.

Son Heung-min attempted his first shot in the 34th minute of the first half. He carried the ball diagonally from the side to the center, and when there was no place to put it, he fired a mid-range right-footed shot. It was caught by goalkeeper Rome Jaden Owusu-Oduro.

Son Heung-min assisted the goal in the 3rd minute of the second half. Tottenham went on a fast attack as the pressure from the right succeeded. Son Heung-min, who received the ball that had spread to the left, slightly pulled the defense and passed it to James Maddison, who was unmarked, and Maddison finished. It was Son Heung-min's assist. Based on this match, it was an additional goal, and in fact, it was a comeback goal when compared to the first match.

In the 26th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min shot quickly, but two players rushed in and blocked it, and eventually made a shot that hit his body. That's how much control Son Heung-min had throughout the match.

Even when Odober scored in the 29th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min was involved in the development. Son Heung-min lured the fullback with a dribble on the left and passed the ball to Jed Spence, who was overlapping, and Spence's cutback led to the goal. Solanke artistically passed the ball with his heel while being controlled by the defense, and Odober finished it off while unmarked.

Son Heung-min ranked first in this category with 4 successful dribble breakthroughs (based on WhoScored). It was a match with a rare balance between the left and right, with Son Heung-min on the left scoring 4 times and Odober on the right scoring 3 times.

Son Heung-min also had the most shots with 5, but 3 of them were blocked by the opponent. He also recorded 2 key passes.

With this assist, Son Heung-min reached his 12th assist of the season. His Europa League record is 3 goals and 1 assist.