Tottenham felt the bitter taste of dropping out of the round of 16 as he felt the absence of Son Heung-min.
[골닷컴] Reporter Kang Dong-hoon = Tottenham lost the first match in which Son Heung-min was missing, and was eliminated in the Europa League round of 16. The reason was that the team could not find a flow in the attack due to the absence of Heung-min Son, the core of the team.
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Tottenham lost 0-3 after overtime in the 2nd leg of the UEFA Europa League round of 16 against Dynamo Zagreb in the 2020-21 season held at Stadion Maximir in Zagreb, Croatia at 2:55 am on the 19th. As a result, Tottenham fell 2-3 in the combined score and failed to advance to the quarterfinals.
Tottenham won the first game, but in order not to slow down the tension, he participated as an elite member. Kane took the lead, and Moura, Ali, and Lamela were in the second line. Winks and Sissoko defended their waists, and Davis, Dyer, Sanchez, and Orie formed a defensive line. The goal was kept by Joris.
However, Tottenham lacked 2% in deciding power, struggled to break through dense defense, and could not hit Zagreb’s goal. Rather, Zagreb scored the opening goal in a sharper attack. In the 17th minute of the second half, Orsha’s shot from the left flank cut the net. Accordingly, Tottenham threw the number of matches by putting in Veil, Rosso and Ndombele. But again this time, the goal came from Zagreb. In the 27th minute of the second half, Orsha scored a ground ball cross as it was.
Even after entering overtime, Tottenham continued to be frustrated. The atmosphere did not change even though the changes were made by adding Vinicius, Regilon, and Verbain. In the midst of this, Zagreb scored his third goal. In the first minute of the second half, Orsha’s shot after dribble break through shook the net. Eventually, Tottenham lost 0-3 and failed to advance to the quarterfinals.
Tottenham, which continued the frustrating flow of the attack for 120 minutes, was a game where Son Heung-min’s absence was painfully felt. Son Heung-min was excluded from this expedition as he was out due to a hamstring injury in the confrontation with Arsenal on the 15th.
Accordingly, Mourinho placed Moura, Ali, and Lamela in the second line to fill the void for Son Heung-min. However, it was not enough. Tottenham’s attack without Son Heung-min fell a lot in power. In fact, Moura, Ali, and Lamela had only three shots, and they were so frustrated that there was no effective shot.
Kane, too, couldn’t find his best friend Son Heung-min. Most of all, as Son Heung-min fell out, he naturally faced difficulties as intensive checks came into him. Eventually, Kane failed to activate the scorer and failed to prevent the team from losing.
This season, Son Heung-min performed his best. He is the second most attacking point in the team with 18 goals and 16 assists in 41 games in all competitions. The playing time is also the second largest among field players. It is the core of Mourinho’s tactics.
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In particular, Son Heung-min puts a great burden on the opponent’s defense with his fast speed and excellent space penetration ability. Because of this, Tottenham could effectively counterattack, and his teammates could comfortably score goals when attacking. However, when Son Heung-min fell into injury, a frustrating flow of attacks continued, which in turn led to defeat. Tottenham, who realized Son Heung-min’s absence, is desperate for his return as soon as possible.