Az Alkmaar won a 1-0 crucial victory over Tottenham in the first leg of his equality of direct elimination of the Europa League.
The local team capitalized on a defensive lance while keeping visitors remotely.
A goal by Lucas Bergvall by Lucas Bergvall turned out to be decisive, because the Spurs failed to record a single shot on the target throughout the match.
Despite a dominant part of possession, Tottenham had trouble creating significant opportunities, the disciplined defense of AZ and the aggressive pressing ensuring that their advance has remained intact.
The men of Angel Postcoglou were not inspired by attack, while the hosts took full advantage of their set opportunities.
The game started alive for AZ, with Lahdo and Moller Wolfe combining well at the bottom on the left.
However, Lahdo early withdrawal was forced by an injury, replaced by Kasius.
The Spurs dominated possession in the opening exchanges, but AZ remained compact, frustrating his opponents of Premier League.
🔥 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌#Azalkmaar #Aztot #Uel #Thefutureisours pic.twitter.com/honh0ojfoy
– Az (@Azalkmaar) March 6, 2025
The breakthrough arrived in the 18th minute. A corner of koopmeiners has been mischittt, sending the ball through the six yards box, where Bergvall inadvertently transformed it into its own net.
It was a disastrous moment for the Spurs, offering AZ the head with their first real attack.
The Spurs tried to answer, but their efforts were tamed. Johnson pulled back, and Maddison and his son wasted a promising routine of free kicks.
Meanwhile, Az has given confidence, Parrott missing a gold chance to double their lead after being played on the head.
Vicario’s rapid reactions denied his former teammate, keeping Tottenham’s deficit at one at halftime.
Postcoglou reacted by performing part-time substitution, presenting Wilson Odobert in place of the ineffective mathys Tel.
However, the difficulties of the Spurs have continued. Their first half count of only two shots was aggravated by a second half which saw AZ remain in control, despite Tottenham’s tactical exchange attempts.
AZ has almost extended their advance when Poku’s shot was exploited expertly by Vicario.
The Spurs, on the other hand, continued to miss, Son and Bergvall sending both wide efforts. Their lack of point was summarized by their inability continues to disturb the goalkeeper Az Owusu-Oduro.
A burst of substitutions followed because Postcoglou sought a way in the game. Captain Heung-Min Son, which had been largely anonymous, was removed for Dominic Solanke, while Maddison gave way to Pape Sarr.
Pedro Porro also replaced Destiny Udogy in order to add more dynamism in the side. However, despite these changes, the Spurs remained dull attack.
AZ continued to look dangerous during the break, the koopmeiners pulling the strings in the midfield. Poku saw another blow navigating the bar, while Maikuma and Gray held the Tottenham background line.
The game has become more and more physical, with Bentancur, Koopmeiners and Poku all receiving yellow cards in a second half heated.
While the final whistle, AZ celebrated a well -deserved victory, while the Spurs were frustrated by their lack of attack.
With a second step at the home to come, Tottenham must find a way to break the defense of AZ if they want to overthrow the deficit and keep their European hopes alive.
