NewsHail
22 May 2025
They say it does not matter how you score, as long as the ball goes in. Even so, Brennan Johnson may feel lucky to be the man who won the Europa League final for Tottenham Hotspur.
The ball seemed to touch Manchester United defender Luke Shaw after Johnson hit Pape Matar Sarr's cross in the first half of Spurs' 1-0 win in Bilbao.
Uefa gave the goal to Johnson. It was a messy goal, but a very special one for the Wales forward to remember before he turns 24 on Friday.
"I knew I touched it a bit," Johnson said after the game. "Not cleanly, then I saw the ball slowly go into the goal."
"In the last five minutes, I could not watch. I kept asking, 'How much time is left?' When we stopped that corner, I was told it was done. The relief I felt is hard to explain."
It was a very special moment for him and the club. The goal was Johnson's 20th this season for club and country. It was his best season so far. It gave Spurs their first trophy since 2008.
"I'm so happy now," he said. "This season was not good, but none of us care about that now."
"This team has not won a trophy for 17 years. It means a lot."
"The fans get upset, and we get blamed for not winning. We had to win this one. I’m so happy. Since I joined, people said Tottenham is a good team but can’t win. But now we did."
Johnson did not expect Spurs to be 17th in the Premier League when he joined from Nottingham Forest for over £45 million in summer 2023.
His old club has done well this season, fighting for a Champions League spot. But Spurs and their boss Ange Postecoglou had a poor season in the league.
Johnson, who also scored in the Europa League semi-final win over Bodo/Glimt, said he and his teammates thank Postecoglou for trusting them in Europe.
"He has done his job," said Johnson. "He said he would win in the second year. He did. If there is a time to brag, it is now."
"I can’t thank the manager enough for trusting us and getting us ready for big games."
Johnson added: "Being 17th in the Premier League is not good. But we had a great Europa League run. The fans were amazing, both home and away. They came early and gave us strength. They were louder than the United fans."
