An own goal by Lucas Bergvall put Tottenham in a difficult position against AZ Alkmaar.
Ange Postecoglou’s team was fortunate to still be in contention in this Europa League match, as their performance was far from their best.
AZ Alkmaar is nicknamed the “Cheese Farmers” due to their city’s cheese-making history.
They displayed a strong performance, with former Spurs player Troy Parrott causing problems for his old team.
Parrott’s header led to Bergvall’s own goal in the 18th minute.
Tottenham must now fight back in the second leg at home to avoid another trophy-less season.
This loss increases pressure on manager Postecoglou, especially as the team has dropped to 13th in the Premier League.
Adding to their worries, Dominic Solanke, who recently returned from injury, had to be substituted off shortly after coming on.
AZ Alkmaar had previously demonstrated their strength by defeating Galatasaray 4-1 at home.
Despite the importance of the game for Tottenham’s season, their performance was surprisingly poor.
They were fortunate not to be further behind by halftime.
Postecoglou’s decision to start without key players like Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Solanke seemed to backfire. Their absence was felt both defensively and offensively.
Mathys Tel struggled to make an impact upfront.
In contrast, Parrott was a significant threat against his former club.
The own goal resulted from Parrott’s header from a corner, which Bergvall misjudged and deflected into his own net.
AZ Alkmaar nearly doubled their advantage when Parrott broke free, but Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario made a crucial save.
Before halftime, Tottenham narrowly avoided conceding again in a goalmouth scramble.
Following a poor first half, Postecoglou replaced Tel with Wilson Odobert at halftime.
However, AZ Alkmaar continued to dominate, although Bergvall did have a shot that went just wide.
Vicario again made an important save, denying Ernest Poku.
Solanke entered the game but was unfortunately injured shortly after.
This defeat makes it a difficult situation for Postecoglou, and they need to reverse the result in the second leg to stay in the competition.
Failure to do so would be a bitter disappointment for Tottenham.
