AZ Alkmaar beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in a closely contested Europa League round of 16 clash. Both teams started the match fighting for dominance, but it was lazy pressure from Spurs and a goalkeeping error that gifted Alkmaar’s Lucas Bergvall an own goal after just 18 minutes. Spurs continued to push for an equaliser, yet AZ remained resolute in defence. The game was regularly interrupted by injuries, which seemed to affect the rhythm of both teams. Mourinho rang the changes bringing on multiple substitutes, as Spur struggled however could not wrestle an equaliser from AZ’s grasp and eventually succumbed to defeat
AZ Dominance And Tactical Advantage
AZ were in control for most of the game. In reality, it was exclusively in the opening period when they were faultless. Troy Parrott and Ernest Poku’s offensive performance kept Tottenham preoccupied during the match. AZ were overly deep which led to multiple free kicks and corner kicks. Son Heung-Min and James Maddison worked hard to unlock the opposition, but Tottenham never threatened often enough to score. AZ lead from start to finish; their goalkeeper made important saves in opposition of his goal while their high-press on our defence remained disciplined.
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A Surprising And Well-Earned Victory
It was a result Tottenham probably did not see coming given the expected gap between the teams, with a stronger squad and recent winning run for Mauricio Pochettino’s men. But AZ brought intensity on their home turf and, coupled with poor finishing from Spurs and an error from their defence, that lead to a damaging loss in Alkmaar. Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf said ‘AZ booked a more than deserved win over Premier League team underachiever Tottenham Hotspur’.
