Micky van de Ven (24, Tottenham Hotspur)'s super play has become a topic of discussion.

Tottenham defeated Manchester United (Man U) 1-0 in the 2024-2025 season UEFA Europa League (UEL) single-match final held at Estadio San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain, on the 22nd (Korean time). They embraced a trophy for the first time in 17 years since the 2007-2008 season League Cup.

The 'scorer of the final goal' was Brennan Johnson. He ran in and stretched out his foot to connect with a cross from the left flank that was coming in during the 41st minute of the first half. The ball deflected off Manchester United's Luke Shaw. Seeing the slight change in the direction of the ball, Johnson quickly positioned his toes to make contact. The ball was sucked into the back of the Manchester United goal. The Tottenham players embraced each other in joy.

Just as crucial was the performance of van de Ven. He showcased a super save in the 68th minute, with Tottenham narrowly ahead 1-0. The situation was as follows: Taking advantage of a moment when teammate and Tottenham goalkeeper Vicario failed to properly punch the ball, Manchester United's Hoylund sent a header shot from directly in front of the goal.

Although the shot came in a situation where Vicario had left the goal open, it did not become a goal. This was because van de Ven, who had rushed in to guard the goal instead of the goalkeeper, dove and stretched out his foot to clear the ball. It was a difficult position but the best judgment and defense.

The British media 'The Standard' noted, "He cleared Hoylund's header in front of the goal, preventing a scoring crisis. He showed a calm and stable presence in the defensive line. Both his aerial ability and positioning stood out," awarding van de Ven a top rating of 9. Without his super save, Tottenham would likely have struggled significantly, conceding an equalizer.

Thanks to van de Ven's performance, Son Heung-min's 'title-less' streak came to an end. After making his professional debut in 2010 in Hamburg, Germany, and moving through Bayer Leverkusen, Son joined Tottenham in 2015 but had faced repeated heartbreaks at the brink of victory. He remained second in the Premier League in the 2016-2017 season and had to settle for runner-up after losing to Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) final in the 2018-2019 season. In the 2020-2021 season, he could not overcome Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.

The only title Son Heung-min had experienced until that day since his professional debut was the gold medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games as part of the South Korean national football team. Finally, he lifted the trophy with his team.

Son Heung-min, who waited on the bench that day, made his entrance onto the field, replacing Richarlison in the 67th minute. After being sidelined for a month due to a foot injury, he had regained match fitness through two Premier League games prior to this match. He played about 30 minutes in the game against Crystal Palace on the 11th and started in the match against Aston Villa on the 17th, playing over 70 minutes.

Ahead of the match against Manchester United, there was significant interest in whether Son Heung-min would be selected in the starting lineup. Coach Ange Postecoglou's choice was initially to keep him on the bench and start Richarlison.

During the first half, Son Heung-min, who sat on the bench cheering for Johnson's goal, showed great effort after being substituted midway through the second half. In the 81st minute, he aimed to create a shooting opportunity during a counterattack. However, he was unable to properly control the ball due to a defensive challenge.

According to the European statistics site 'Footmob', Son Heung-min recorded 13 touches on the ball in 23 minutes (excluding added time), with a pass accuracy of 33% (2 successful / 6 attempts), a dribble success rate of 100% (1 successful / 1 attempt), 1 defensive action, 3 recoveries, and a ground ball contest success rate of 40% (2 successful / 5 attempts).

Van de Ven commented on his goal-line clearance, saying, "Honestly, it really hurt. I still don't remember the exact moment. When I saw the ball going to Hoylund, I thought, 'If this gets past Vicario, it’s a goal.' As I dove in, I thought the ball was too high, and it was going to be a disaster. But I did my best to dive in, and I’m just glad I was able to stop it and keep a clean sheet."

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