‘We weren’t good enough’ – Son opens up on ‘disappointing’ Tottenham display in 1-0 defeat vs AZ | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min has admitted that his team fell far short of expectations following their 1-0 Europa League last-16 first-leg defeat against AZ Alkmaar.

An unfortunate own goal proved to be the difference between both sides as former Spurs striker Troy Parrott’s header was steered into the far corner by Lucas Bergvall.

Tottenham struggled to make any real impact on the game.

AZ goalkeeper Rome Jayden Owusu-Oduro hardly had a save to make, and the Dutch side will be kicking themselves for not taking their chances to kill the game.

Speaking after the game, Son described his side’s performance as “very disappointing” and called it a “big wake-up call” ahead of what he believes is the most important game of the season.

“It’s nowhere near where we should perform,” Son told TNT Sport. “It was very disappointing that we performed like this, including me.”

The South Korean international made it clear that the squad must take responsibility for their woeful display ahead of next week’s tie decider at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“Everyone is very disappointed about the individual performance and the team performance – we have to look at ourselves,” he added.

Despite the defeat, Son is optimistic about his side’s chances of turning the tie on its head on home turf.

“There are no excuses – we were not good enough,” he said. “It’s just 1-0, it’s still not finished, and next week we have to be much better.”

Tottenham will be hoping to bounce back when they return to Premier League action against top-four hopefuls Bournemouth this weekend.

Ange Postecoglou’s side had built up a head of steam when they recorded consecutive wins against Ipswich Town and Manchester United last month.

However, they have now suffered back-to-back defeats against Manchester City and AZ.

The north Londoners will be keen to avoid losing three games in a row for the first time this season when they host Bournemouth.