Tottenham Hotspur is in danger of failing to advance to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League. Tottenham captain Son Heung-min urged the players to wake up in the face of the 17-year trophy crisis.

Tottenham lost 0-1 to AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 due to an own goal by Lucas Berival. Tottenham must win by at least two goals in the second leg at home on the 14th to advance to the quarterfinals. If they win by one goal, they will go into extra time and a penalty shootout.

If Tottenham misses the Europa League, they will once again be buried in the shadow of a trophy. Tottenham has not lifted a trophy since winning the English Football League (EFL) Cup in the 2007-2008 season. Tottenham, who were eliminated in the semifinals of the EFL Cup and the round of 32 of the FA Cup this season, have also fallen out of the English Premier League (EPL) title race. The gap between 13th-place Tottenham (33 points) and 1st-place Liverpool (67 points) has widened to 34 points. Even if Tottenham wins all of its remaining 11 games, it will only have 66 points.

Including Son Heung-min, Tottenham looked listless. Embarrassed by Beribal's own goal in the 18th minute of the first half, Tottenham failed to show a threatening appearance. They were ahead in possession (58-42%), but were behind in shots (7-11) and effective shots (1-3). Son Heung-min, who started as a left winger, only managed three shots until the 27th minute of the second half without an effective shot.

Son Heung-min was given the lowest rating of 4 by British media outlet Football London, and was criticized for “not being able to influence the game as a left winger or as a striker.” The Evening Standard also gave Son Heung-min the lowest rating of 4 in the team.

Son Heung-min has given Tottenham a warning. He said, “It is very disappointing that we, including myself, have achieved this result,” and emphasized, “We should take this as a warning because next week (the second leg) is the most important game of the season.” He added, “We were very sloppy and did not perform as well as we should have. Everyone is very disappointed with the performance of each individual and the team,” and added, “It is only 0-1 and it is not over yet. We have to do much better than today next week.”