Son Heung-min was shocked by the '3 points' rating at the bottom. "You know why I'm being criticized, right?"...Tottenham also lost 0-1 away to Alkmaar
Son Heung-min was shocked by the '3 points' rating at the bottom. "You know why I'm being criticized, right?"...Tottenham also lost 0-1 away to Alkmaar
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Do they miss the last chance? Tottenham Hotspur lost its first round match against AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Europa League round of 16, the only remaining chance to win the trophy this season.
Son Heung-min also had a humiliating day, receiving the lowest rating in the team.
Tottenham, led by coach Anji Postecoglou, lost 0-1 to Alkmaar in the first leg of the round of 16 of the 2024-2025 UEFA Europa League at AFAS Stadion in Alkmaar, Netherlands, on the 7th (Korea time).
With the FA Cup and Carabao Cup eliminated last month and staying at the bottom of the Premier League, this is the only opportunity for Postecoglou to seek a championship this season.
Tottenham had already won 1-0 against Alkmaar this season. They won the league phase at home with a penalty kick from Hishalisson, but the team's situation has changed significantly since then due to injuries.
Alkmaar, on the other hand, boosted his confidence by scoring five goals against Turkiye Galatasaray in the playoffs.
The match also reflected the team's situation. Only one goal was scored in the match on the day, with Lucas Veribal's own goal coming around the 18th minute of the first half. After the own goal, Tottenham did not even have a significant opportunity to display better performance against the Dutch league (Eredivisie) team.
So did Son Heung-min, the captain of his team. Starting out, Son did not perform much for 72 minutes.
The home team Alkmaar was picked up in the 4-2-3-1 format. Jadon Owusu Oduro wore goalie gloves, while David Möhler Wolf, Alexandre Penetra, Bauter Huss and Mikuma Seiya made up the back four. Pierre Copmeiners and Jordi Clasier worked together in the third, while Mikel Rado, Zico Brumester and Ernest Poku were placed in the second. Troy Parrott started for the front-line one-top spot.
The away team Tottenham used a 4-3-3 format. Destiny Udogi, Kevin Danso, Archie Gray, and Jed Spence formed the defensive line, with Guglielmo Vicario guarding the goal. James Madison, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Lucas Beribal participated in the midfield. Son Heung-min, Matisse Tell, and Brennan Johnson started in the front-line three-top and aimed for the opponent's goal.
Tottenham struggled with Alkmaar's pressure from the beginning of the match. In the third minute, Alkmaar's Wolff, who penetrated from the left flank, crossed strongly, low and fast into the box, but was blocked by Vicario's defense. However, nine minutes into the first half, Denso Cassius was sent in when Alkmaar's left flanker Rado was knocked down with an injury.
Alkmal's offensive continued in a chaotic atmosphere. In the 10th minute of the first half, Alkmaar, who cut Tottenham's pass, quickly counterattacked. Before he knew it, Poku, who dragged the ball to the door and received the ball near the penalty arc, broke through and fired a strong left-footed shot in front of the box. Unfortunately, the ball went out to the right side of the box.
Tottenham attempted a counterattack in the 15th minute of the first half, with Son Heung-min's left foot shot blocked by defense outside the box, but it failed. Then, bad news broke out for Tottenham.
He scored an own goal. In the 17th minute of the first half, Veribal's defense, which attempted to clear Parrott's clumsy shot from Alkmaar's corner kick, caused anger. It was misplaced and sucked into Tottenham's goal. It was Veribal's clear error. Although it was an unlucky loss, it was a regrettable moment for Tottenham.
Tottenham, which lost a point early in the day, fought back, but Alkmaar's downfall did not create any opportunities for defense. In the 30th minute of the first half, Son Heung-min, who received the ball near the central line, dragged it to the goal and tried to shoot with his right foot, but was blocked by the defense.
Rather, Alkmaar's counterattack continued. In the 31st minute of the first half, Parrott's shot was saved by Vicario, and Vicario continued to save the team from danger by blocking free kicks in the 42nd minute. Thanks to Vicario's good defense, the game ended with the first half remaining 1-0.
Tottenham replaced Tel, who showed poor performance again, with Wilson O'Dober at the start of the second half. With O'Dober positioned as a left-side striker, Son Heung-min naturally changed his position to the front-line one-top.
Tottenham's poor performance continued in the second half. Berrival's mid-range shot slightly missed the goal in the fourth minute of the second half, and Son Heung-min hit a right-footed shot after going from left to center in the sixth minute of the second half, but it went off the post.
After that, Tottenham took the risk of replacing all the key players. That was all Son Heung-min's performance. In the 27th minute of the second half, Dominique Solanke, Pape Matar Sarr and Pedro Porro were deployed instead of Son Heung-min, Madison, and U Do-gi.
However, the team could not overcome the concentration level of Alkmaar's defense. Tottenham's counterattack failed repeatedly. Even 45 minutes into the second half, Solanke, who was substituted, was injured 18 minutes into the game and fell down. He was hurt again in his return match, which took about a month after he was injured against Arsenal in January.
Since then, Tottenham lost 0-1 in the first round of the round of 16 without earning any income. Now, Tottenham has to secure at least a two-point home victory in its second round match to advance to the quarterfinals of the Europa League.
According to Footmob, a statistics media specializing in soccer, Son Heung-min left a disappointing record of 81% (26/32) pass success rate, 3 shots, 33% (1/3), 50% (1/2), 50% success rate of ground competition (2/4), and 0% success rate of aerial ball competition for 72 minutes. Footmob gave Son the lowest rating in the team after Veribal (6.0), who scored an own goal with 6.1.
The evaluation of Son Heung-min by soccer media was also not very good. "Tottenham's captaincy did not have much impact on his position as the starting left winger or the top of the second half," said Football London 토토사이트. "All that matters is a shot that went deep inside and flew high," while Tottenham Hotspur News, which specializes in Tottenham news, said, "Another player who fell far short of expectations. Inside the opponent's box."