Son Heung-Min Disappointed With Champions League Exit
South Korea international Son Heung-Min expressed his disappointment after Tottenham Hotspur were knocked out of this season’s Champions League. The north London club had been in a solid position to qualify for the quarter-final stage after they put in a solid performance in the first-leg of their round of 16 tie at Juventus – which ended in a 2-2 draw.
Son enhanced the club’s chances further by netting the opener during the second-leg, but this was not sufficient as Juventus came from behind to pick up a 2-1 victory. The triumph ensured that the Bianconeri progressed with a 4-3 aggregate scoreline, and Son has admitted that there is a sense of unhappiness within the squad.
He said: "That hurt, but it's football. We played well but sometimes football is like this. We have to accept the result but still for me, it hurts a lot. What was the difference? Nothing. At the start we played well, we created lots of chances, got to 1-0 and made the perfect start I think. This game we can learn something from, but this is sad news. The dressing room was a bit quiet.”
Tottenham have possessed one of the best defences across Europe this term, but a period of three minutes in the second half ultimately cost them the chance to extend their Champions League run. The defeat is likely to have a dampening effect on the morale in the team, but Pochettino has the task of getting the side together for their Premier League outing this weekend.
The north London side are very much in the running to qualify for next season’s Champions League via their league phase, and they need to keep their recent good form going at Bournemouth. Spurs currently have a slender two-point lead over Chelsea with a game in hand, and they need to retain their focus in order to maintain their fourth position ahead of their city rivals.