Well, it’s not over. Angecoglou will feel that Tottenham will remain firmly in this draw and will have firepower to change in London, but the mission of saving the season began with a presentation as flat as the pancake landscape in this part of the Netherlands.
They could not gather a single effort on the target against Az Alkmaar. Unless we contain the weird goal of Lucas Bergvall, who solved the first stage in favor of the Dutch team, who deserved his victory and could think he deserved more.
Certainly there were chances of looking back and wrinkle if they get out in the second hand, when Spurs will be without Rodrigo Bentancur, who will be suspended after a yellow card.
Dominic Solanke can also be a doubt. Solanke returned after seven weeks with a knee injury, but lasted just 20 minutes before he stained, clearly with great discomfort after landing clumsy in his back.
Just as the injury crisis seemed to make it easier, Spurs fans can begin to have given up on hope for Lent.
Poscoglou team met back in 18 minutes. And the fans of the house were jumping up and down, singing the name of their former Spurs -Troy Parrott, who played his role in a goal that goes against Lucas Bergvall.
Tottenham suffered a 1-0 loss to AZ Alkmaar in the first stage of the Europa League draw last year
A Lucas Bergvall’s own goal put the hosts ahead, with the middle -time cutting his network
The defeat is a big blow to Ange Poscoglou, while Tottenham tries to rescue his season
Parrott was lurking beyond the pole to find a deep corner. He tried to help him go back to the goal on the volley, but did not take him clean, with mistakes and scratched him to the floor, which seemed to confuse Bergvall, who cut off an attempt off outside his right boot.
The ball deflected towards his own goal over goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and Djed Spence on the line.
Az was glad to allow visitors to dominate the ball and sought to hit them quickly on the turnover with passing and fast Poku and Dense Karius combinations, who came to replace Mayckel Lahdo, injured in the opening minutes.
The Dutch should have increased their leadership before the break, when Karius caught his inauguration and surpassed Heung-Min Son, while taking him well in the Spurs territory before a pass to put Parrott clean the goal.
There was no flag, but Vicario came to aid, running to close the angles and make a block while Parrott was trying to tighten a low shot on the net.
This was not the last fright of the first half. Tottenham advocates protected their goal in a breathless dispute of a corner. Archie Gray and Bergvall were among those who played bodies on the fire line to avoid further damage before the break.
Perhaps more disappointing was that they created so little from now on. They did not have a target shot in the first half when Az Center-Halves Goter Vai and Alexandre penetrates easily neutralized Mathys Tel, who is struggling to make an impact as a front center and was replaced at the break by Wilson Odobert, with his son moving in the middle.
Brennan Johnson’s hopeful shot from 20 yards was as close as Spurs came to a goal in the first half.
Troy Parrott was prevented from scoring against his former club by a beautiful Guglielmo Vicario Save
With ODOBERT, they briefly offered extra threat because their threat of running after a space created for creative midfielders. Bergvall advanced in space and tied a little well. Odobert joined Son, whose finish was disappointingly wild.
Meanwhile, the lighter chances came and went on the other side. Poku forced another vicario defense and then dodged a decent chance presented by a rare error in Gray’s ball.
Penetra had another shot diverted before postcogled to make a triple change, which included the return of Solanke, but his night ended in pain and the Spurs have work to do in the second hand.
