Richarlison's Penalty Wins Tottenham Hotspur Against AZ Alkmaar

Tottenham Hotspur captain James Maddison (right) celebrated Richarlison's (left) goal in the Europa League match against AZ Alkmaar. (X/@SpursOfficial)

JAKARTA - The Richarlison penalty brought Tottenham Hotspur to beat AZ Alkmaar 1-0 in the Europa League match, Friday, October 25, 2024 in the morning WIB. The victory at home at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium made the North London club the perfect point.

Tottenham are unstoppable in the Europa League competition. From the first three matches played, Tottenham were able to gain nine points. The English Premier League club has always won so that it is in second place in the standings.

Tottenham's points were the same as Lazio, but they lost on goal difference. This makes Lazio, who won 2-0 over Twente to the top of the standings.

Meanwhile, AZ, who only won once, is still stuck in 24th place. The Dutch Eredivisie club pocketed the third point after losing twice.

In that match, Tottenham had to work hard to face AZ's strong defense. In the early minutes of the match, the hosts had actually had a good chance through Moore. But Moore's header that met Timo Werner's exclusive cross was still wide.

Next, it was Werner's turn to score. Only, the loan striker from RB Leipzig who met Lucas Bergvall's pass could still be thwarted by goalkeeper Rome-Jodenden Owusu-Oduro.

Tottenham were able to master the game by creating a number of opportunities through Werner and Richarlison. However, their attack still found a deadlock.

In the second half, Ange Postecoglou's manager made substitutions. Werner who was less effective up front was pulled out and replaced by cap Johnson. Even though the game became more lively, the Lilywhites attack still didn't give any results.

Tottenham's patience was finally not in vain when they were awarded a penalty following Bergvall's drop by defender Maxim Dekker in the 53rd minute. The referee pointed to the spot.

Captain James Maddison was originally about to take the execution. However, Richarlison also showed a desire to take a penalty kick. After a moment of discussion, Maddison, who replaced Son Heung-min as captain for absence, then handed over the execution to the Brazilian.

Richarlison also completed the penalty execution. This was Richarlison's first goal since May 2024 with a calf injury. The goal brought Tottenham seven wins from eight matches in various competitions.

Maddison explained the reason for handing over the penalty to his partner. "We both really wanted to take the execution. I was a senior player and captain in that game. So, I was supposed to take the penalty," Maddison was quoted as saying by Talk Sport.

"But suddenly it crossed my mind why not hand it over to Richy [Richarlison]. He just returned to play after recovering from injury. He had a difficult time. Moreover, he was a striker. I had the same situation last year. I had a long injury and it took time to score my first goal after recovering," he said.

"Then there is an option by handing over the penalty to him. After all, Richy is a good penalty kicker. And, he is carrying out his duties. I think this decision is the best for the team," said Maddison again.

The 1-0 score for Tottenham lasted until the game was over. After this match, Tottenham faced Crystal Palace in the Premier League match, Sunday, October 27, 2024 evening WIB. This is the second time Tottenham has played London Derby in a row. At the previous derby, Tottenham beat West Ham United 4-1.