Jan Paul van Hecke found the back of the net for the Netherlands, who overcame Tunisia on Thursday to finish top of Group F.
Spurs paid £52m for Van Hecke even though he had just a year left on his contract at Brighton, with the Lilywhites beating several clubs to the centre-back’s signature due to the Roberto De Zerbi factor.
The signing already looks like an inspired one, with the 26-year-old arguably the Netherlands’ best player at the World Cup so far.
The new Tottenham man made a decisive contribution for his side as the Dutch side entered the knockout stages of the competition unbeaten.
Watch Tottenham star Jan Paul van Hecke’s goal against Tunisia
The former Brighton man started alongside Virgil van Dijk again in the heart of the Netherlands defence, and he delivered a solid defensive display, winning most of his duels and spraying passes across the pitch.
He also made a decisive contribution at the other end of the pitch, scoring a header on 62 minutes to put the game beyond the North African side.
With the game poised at 2-1 for the Netherlands, Van Hecke rose the highest to deliver a brilliant glancing header beyond the near post that sailed into the far corner of the net, becoming the first Spurs player to score in the 2026 World Cup.
Watch the Tottenham man’s goal below:
The numbers behind Van Hecke’s Man of the Match performance against Tunisia
SofaScore gave the Spurs centre-back a rating of 9.2 for his all-round display on Thursday at the Kansas City Stadium.
Van Hecke completed 130 of 134 passes, registering a 97 per cent accuracy, which included 7 accurate long balls from 8 attempts.
The new Tottenham signing had 145 touches, registering 58 carries, which shows how important he was in progressing the ball.
Van Hecke was also strong defensively, producing four clearances, one block, one interception, and 7 ball recoveries while winning five out of his eight duels.