Tottenham Hotspur suffered a frustrating defeat in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 16 tie, falling 1-0 to AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands. A costly first-half own goal proved decisive as Spurs struggled to break down their Dutch opponents.
Captain Son Heung-min endured a disappointing night, playing 72 minutes without making a significant impact. The South Korean forward managed three attempts but failed to hit the target before being replaced by Dominic Solanke.
The decisive moment came in the 18th minute when Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall inadvertently redirected the ball into his own net, handing Alkmaar the lead. Despite pushing for an equalizer, Spurs couldn’t find a breakthrough and now face an uphill battle in the return leg at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next Thursday.
Tottenham, who haven’t lifted a major trophy since their English Football League Cup triumph in the 2007-08 season, are desperate to keep their European hopes alive. Their domestic struggles have compounded their woes, as they sit 13th in the Premier League and have already exited both the FA Cup and League Cup this season.
After the match, Son acknowledged the team’s poor performance, admitting they fell well short of expectations.
“It’s incredibly disappointing, and I include myself in that,” he told TNT Sports. “This is a wake-up call because next week is the biggest game of our season. We lacked creativity in the first half, played carelessly, and didn’t perform the way we should have. No excuses—we simply weren’t good enough. But it’s just 1-0, and we still have a chance. Next week, we must be much better.”
With their European campaign hanging in the balance, Tottenham will need a vastly improved display in front of their home crowd to overturn the deficit and keep their trophy ambitions alive.
