FAREWELL & VICTORY: SON HEUNG-MIN WATCHES AS TOTTENHAM CLINCHES CRUCIAL UCL HOME WIN

Tottenham Hotspur secured a comfortable 3-0 home win against Slavia, featuring penalties from Kudus and Simons, on an emotional night marking Son's return.

Farewell & Victory: Son Heung-min Watches As Tottenham Clinches Crucial UCL Home Win
Frank Hails Son While Spurs Win to Ease UCL Pressure

With Son watching from the stands, Tottenham Hotspur secured a solid win against Thomas Frank's team in north London. The victory came thanks to David Zima's first-half own goal and penalties from Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons after halftime.

Fresh off Saturday's much-needed home win against Brentford, Tottenham made it two wins in a row at home, easing some pressure on Frank after a difficult period.

Tottenham has moved up to ninth place in the league before their last games against Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt in January. The top eight teams will automatically advance to the last 16, while teams from ninth to 24th will enter the playoffs.

I'm very happy with the win. "We're in a good position to move forward," Frank said.

I liked a lot about our play, but I also think we can do better in the future and have more control. We’ve had four games in only a few days.

The night was emotional at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Son returned to say goodbye officially after his summer move to Los Angeles FC.

Son scored 173 goals in 454 games for Tottenham and captained the club to the Europa League victory against Manchester United last season, ending their 17-year wait for a trophy.

Just hours after his mural was revealed on the Tottenham High Road earlier that day, the 33-year-old spoke to the fans who loved him before the game. He also received a gift during an emotional ceremony on the field.

It was good to see him. I'm happy he got the reception he deserved. "He's a true Tottenham legend coming home," Frank said.

Spurs started fast.

Tottenham supporters were still singing Son’s name when their team almost scored after just 36 seconds.

Wilson Odobert outran David Doudera and found Richarlison, but his first-time shot was deflected over by Slavia's goalkeeper, Jindrich Stanek.

Slavia had failed to score in four of their last five games, but Lukas Provod came close with a strong half-volley.

Tottenham was hurt when centre-back Micky van de Ven was booked for arguing, which means he'll miss next month's important match with Dortmund.

But Frank's team took the lead after 26 minutes when Pedro Porro's corner was flicked on by Cristian Romero, and Zima accidentally headed it into his own net, marking Tottenham's 100th goal in the Champions League.

Tottenham increased their lead in the 48th minute when Porro was fouled by Youssoupha Sanyang's careless tackle.

Richarlison, who missed a penalty against Copenhagen earlier this season, seemed ready to take it until Tottenham captain Romero stepped in, and Kudus scored his third goal for the club.

Frank brought on Mathys Tel after the club decided to add the forward to their Champions League team this week, replacing the injured Dominic Solanke.

Tel’s first action was to test Stanek, who then made an even better save on the follow-up from Pape Sarr.

Simons has the ability to fill the spot left by Son, and the Dutch forward sealed the win in the 79th minute when he scored from the penalty spot after being fouled by Igoh Ogbu.

ARSENAL POCKET INSANE £125.18M FOLLOWING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL QUALIFICATION

Mikel Arteta's side has added £15.97m to their cash reserves, eclipsing the total earned by current champions PSG last year.

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Arsenal Bag Extra £15.9m Prize Money After Historic Champions League Semifinal - Photo Credit: PA

Arsenal have added another £15.97 million to their UEFA prize money haul after securing a spot in the Champions League final with a win against Atletico Madrid. They are set to face either Bayern Munich or the current champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest on May 30, aiming for their first-ever triumph in this prestigious competition.

Beyond that, there’s an additional £5.61 million up for grabs in Hungary later this month. But up to now, Arsenal have amassed an eye-watering £125.18 million in Champions League prize money this season alone. A place in next season’s European Super Cup also carries a potential reward of around £3.45 million. It’s been a remarkable European run under Mikel Arteta, with the team dominating the group stage by winning all eight matches.

From the very beginning, the club benefited from the initial distribution of TV revenue and the rankings pool, which together amounted to £49.6 million. Even before the knockout rounds kicked off, Arsenal had already secured £85.3 million in prize money.

That total doesn’t even cover the bonuses linked to their on-field success, as each of their eight victories in the group stage brought in roughly £15.8 million altogether.

By finishing first out of 36 group-phase clubs, Arsenal earned an extra £8.6 million, and progressing straight to the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams secured them another £11.3 million.

They continued their strong run by eliminating Bayer Leverkusen after a 1-1 draw away and a 2-0 win at the Emirates, which added £10.8 million more to their earnings.

Overcoming Sporting CP in the quarter-finals also brought a £10.8 million bonus. While Arsenal’s motivation isn’t just financial, this level of income certainly aids in meeting profit and sustainability rules and other financial fair play criteria.

It’s also likely to support their summer transfer budget, as sporting director Andrea Berta looks to build on Arteta’s squad.

Last season, Arsenal took home £98.63 million after reaching the semi-finals before falling to PSG.

PSG, who went on to win the title, collected about £124.62 million last year, so Arsenal have now already surpassed that figure.

Meanwhile, UEFA has set aside a record £2.13 billion in prize money for the 2025-26 Champions League season, highlighting the competition’s growing financial stakes.

JAN OBLAK CONFESSES ATLETICO WERE "AFRAID TO PLAY" AGAINST ARSENAL

Following their Champions League exit, skipper Jan Oblak analysed where Atletico went wrong and paid tribute to Griezmann.

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Oblak Demands Mentality Shift At Atletico After Crashing Out To Arsenal - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Jan Oblak didn’t hold back after Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal. He said straight up that the team just didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the final. Sure, he’s proud of how far the squad has come recently, but the way they went out still stings.

Oblak was pretty open about where things went wrong, especially after the first leg, when Atletico failed to take an advantage back to London. “I'm disappointed, just like all the fans. Honestly, I can’t find the words. We didn’t do enough to be in the final, and it’s just a tough moment. We had our chances to win, but we didn’t take them. All that’s left is to congratulate Arsenal.”

He didn’t stop there, either. Speaking to CBS Golazo, Oblak was even more direct about the team’s mentality, especially in the first half of both matches. He felt Atletico were hesitant, too respectful of Arsenal, and afraid to play. Both times, they fell behind before halftime and then tried to play catch-up, but it was always a little too late. “This has happened several times this season,” Oblak said, “and while we’ve managed to win those games before, not today when it mattered most.”

On the flip side, Oblak did give some credit to the young players and the growth the team’s shown, especially after a couple of big summers that saw a huge part of the squad change. “The last two seasons, we’ve switched out something like 15 players. A lot of young guys with not much experience came in. They did great in the cup, and they’ve held up in the Champions League too. In the league, we weren’t good enough for the biggest matches, but I’m proud of how the younger ones are growing. Still, when the goal is to win a title, and you don’t, you can’t call it a success. All we can do is look forward and hope we’ll be fighting for trophies next season.”

Saying goodbye to Antoine Griezmann made this exit even sadder for Oblak and the rest of the squad. Griezmann’s heading to Orlando City this summer, bringing the curtain down on his Champions League career with Atletico. “Everyone’s going to miss Griezi; he’s an incredible player and a great guy. The kind of person who’s always smiling, always positive, and does things on the pitch nobody else can. We’ll miss him a lot; the fans will miss him, but he deserves nothing but the best wherever he goes.”

At 33, Oblak is one of Atletico’s true leaders, right behind Koke for the captain’s armband. Alongside Jose Maria Gimenez and Marcos Llorente, he’s been a

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