Tottenham Hotspur are through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League after getting past AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night.
Spurs lost 1-0 in the last-16 first leg last week but they didn’t need long to cancel out the visitors’ advantage at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Wilson Odobert opened the scoring on 26 minutes before James Maddison put Tottenham 2-0 up on the night – and 2-1 up on aggregate – on 48 minutes.
Peer Koopmeiners levelled the tie on aggregate in the 63rd minute, but Odobert grabbed his second of the night on 74 minutes to help see Spurs through.
Maddison, speaking after the game, delivered his verdict on Odobert and shared what he planned to do to him after the interview.
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James Maddison says he’ll give Wilson Odobert a pat on the back after heroics against AZ
Maddison said Odobert would rightly be grabbing the headlines in wake of his goalscoring heroics against AZ.
The England international described the 20-year-old as “absolutely fantastic” and said he’d give him a pat on the back.
“Wilson Odobert will grab the headlines tonight and rightly so,” Maddison told TNT Sports.
“Two goals and he was a threat, and I thought he was absolutely fantastic. I’m going to go give him a big pat on the back.”
Maddison also praised Tottenham centre-backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, both of whom finally started together again after their respective injuries.
“Micky and Cuti, solid at the back and it was a solid performance and we’re deservedly through,” said the playmaker.
Lucas Bergvall also impressed on the night as Tottenham fans sung his praises.
How Wilson Odobert fared against AZ
Odobert joined Tottenham to much fanfare over the summer, but injuries have meant he’s needed some time to truly get going at Spurs.
This happened on Thursday night as the Frenchman scored his first goals for Spurs. His last goals came in Burnley’s claret and blue back in August.
| Wilson Odobert stats v AZ | |
| Minutes played | 78′ |
| Goals | 2 |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.03 |
| Shots on target | 2 |
| Shots off target | 1 |
| Dribble attempts (succ.) | 4 (3) |
| Touches | 50 |
| Accurate passes | 26/31 (84%) |
| Crosses (acc.) | 2 (1) |
| Ground duels (won) | 8 (5) |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Total tackles | 2 |
Odobert’s opener was a composed finish, then he bagged his second from Dominic Solanke’s superb flick before coming off.
The 20-year-old also played a part in the move for Tottenham’s second goal, taking the ball from Spurs’ half towards the final third.
Although Odobert was unfortunate in knocking the ball into Koopmeiners’ path for AZ’s goal, he more than made up for it with his brace.
Tottenham’s reward is a Europa League quarter-final tie with Eintracht Frankfurt.
