Tottenham Hotspur have been left with a mountain to climb to stay in the UEFA Europa League after they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie. Naming a line-up that included the likes of Son Heung-min, Mathys Tel and James Maddison, the Premier League side threatened to create very little in the North of Holland.
The Dutch side threatened in the early stages, with Ernest Poku flashing a good chance across the face of goal as an early warning sign. The pressure eventually paid dividends in bizarre circumstances. A corner to the back post was headed back across goal towards youngster Lucas Bergvall, whose sliced clearance looped up and over Djed Spence to nestle into the back of the net, giving the hosts the lead.
The one-way traffic continued, with former Spurs man Troy Parrott and Poku continuing to threaten a fragile back four. The former had the best chance to double the lead as he was played through one-one-one, but was thwarted by a smart save from Vicario. A goalmouth scramble at the end of the first period ultimately came to nothing as Spurs found themselves fortunate to be behind by just one at the break.
The second half brought more of the same, as Spurs provided little to no threat in what was no doubt a tough watch for fans. The introduction of senior stars like Pedro Porro and Dominic Solanke with 20 minutes left was designed to give the English side a boost going forward, but a late header over the bar from Wilson Odobert was the best chance the Londoners could fashion.
The hosts were happy to keep Ange Postecoglou's men at an arm's length and focus on protecting their lead while still threatening on the break. The defeat will leave the Australian coach with plenty to ponder ahead of next week's second leg.
AZ Alkmaar 1-0 Tottenham Match Statistics
AZ Alkmaar
39
12
5
7
14
75
3
MixCollage-24-Sep-2024-11-41-AM-1992 Related
Europa League Round of 16, Quarter-Final and Semi-Final Draw Made
The 16 teams left in the competition, including Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, have learned their opponents.
All statistics courtesy of SofaScore - accurate as of 07/03/2025.