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| Picture=Tottenham Club's official SNS capture |
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| Photo = AFP Yonhap News |
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Captain, cheerleader, coach. Son Heung-min (Tottenham) could not rest even during his injury. Supporting his colleagues on the spot, he played the role of 'victory fairy'.
Tottenham, led by head coach Enze Postecoglou, won 3-1 in the first round of the Europa League semifinals in 2024-2025 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England on the 2nd (Korea time). Tottenham, which won the first match, will play the second match at Asmaira Stadium in Nordland, Norway, home to Bodo/Glimt on the 9th. Tottenham has no record of winning official tournaments since winning the League Cup in the 2007-2008 season. He is determined to relieve his indifference through this competition.
Tottenham were in a situation of `all-in' to the Europa League. In this season's English Premier League, he ranked 16th with 11 wins, 4 draws and 19 losses (37 points). Since the launch of the EPL, he has recorded the most losses in a season (1993-1994, 2003-2004). With four games left in the regular league, Tottenham will record the most losses in a single EPL season with one more loss. He was eliminated from the Carabao Cup and the English Football Association (FA) Cup. Winning the Europa League was the team's only goal.
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| Photo=Capture the relay screen |
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| Photo = Reuters Yonhap News |
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There were injury variables. Son Heung-min was unable to play due to injury. He was injured in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final against Frankfurt (Germany) on 11 April when he was tackled by opposing striker Jean Matteo Bahoya. He was completely excluded from the league away game against Wolverhampton two days later. At the time, Postecoglou said, `Son Heung-min's foot was shocked. I'm on the lookout. He said he will be fine during the away game in the Europa League. However, Son Heung-min also failed to play in the second round of the quarterfinals in Frankfurt on April 18. He stayed in England instead of away to focus on recovering from his foot injury. Son Heung-min also failed to play in the subsequent games against Nottingham and Liverpool. Ahead of the match against Nottingham, Postecoglou said, `Son Heung-min has been having foot problems for a while. I need time to get over it. Nor will Nottingham be able to come forward. It's not clear. He's been dealing with the problem for a while. The situation has not improved for us. Rather, it was getting worse. I think rest will be more important than anything else."
Son Heung-min also failed to return to the game against Bodo/Glimt. Ahead of the match, Postecoglou said, `I will not play in the game. I'm training, but I'm still out of the team. However, it is steadily developing. I hope I can return soon." In the end, Son Heung-min did not play in five consecutive games.
Son Heung-min was Son Heung-min. Although he couldn't play due to injury, he visited the stadium and cheered for his teammates. Son Heung-min, wearing a leather jacket, was joined by other injured players, including Lucas Veribal. The broadcast camera didn't let Son go. I caught Son Heung-min's every move. He was seen advising Guglielmo Vicario on something at half-time. When the team's third score came out, he was seen smiling brighter than anyone else. Tottenham won the first leg at home amid Son Heung-min's enthusiastic support.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
