Tottenham Hotspur kneel to underdog team… Europa Round of 16 not clear

Tottenham Hotspur (England), which Son Heung-min appeared as a substitute, lost to Mura (Slovenia) in the fifth match of Group G of the UEFA Europa Conference League for the 2021-2022 season, making it difficult to advance to the round of 16.

Tottenham Hotspur lost 1-2 in their visit to Mura in Maribor, Slovenia on the 26th. Tottenham were led by Mura’s Tommy Horbart in the 11th minute of the first half, but Ryan Cesinion was sent off for accumulating yellow cards in the 32nd minute of the first half. Tottenham manager Antonio Conte tried to change the team atmosphere by replacing Son Heung-min in the 9th minute of the second half, and Harry Kane equalized in the 27th minute of the second half. However, in extra time in the second half, Mura’s Amadei Marosha scored an additional goal and lost.

Tottenham suffered four losses in the previous match and did not send out some key players such as Son Heung-min as the starter against Mura, who was considered the weakest. It was intended to give them a rest in preparation for another match, but they got an unexpected blow and could not guarantee that they would advance to the round of 16. Tottenham maintained their second place in the group with 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses (7 points), but with one game remaining in the group stage, the gap with the leader Stade Rennes (France, 11 points) widened by 4 and Ren took the first place in the group. confirmed

In the Conference League, the first place in each group goes directly to the round of 16, and the teams in second place must win a play-off against the third-placed teams in the Europa League in order to advance to the round of 16. If Tottenham draws or loses in the final match against Rennes on the 10th of next month, and 3rd place Pitesser (Netherlands) wins against Mura, Tottenham will be pushed out of group 3rd place. Reporter Lee Won-hong bluesky@donga.com