Dominic Solanke (29, Tottenham) appears to have a simple bruise for now.
Tottenham Hotspur reported on the 7th (Korean time) through their official channel that "head coach Ange Postecoglou talked about Dominic Solanke's injury."
Tottenham faced AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the round of 16 of the 2024-2025 UEFA Europa League at AZ Stadium in Alkmaar, Netherlands, at 2:45 a.m. on the 7th, and lost 0-1 after a poor match.
As a result, Tottenham finds itself in a situation where it must win the second leg. After a poor display in this away match, they are now heading into a challenging second leg.
Tottenham lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. Son Heung-min, Mathis Tal, and Brennan Johnson were positioned at the front, while James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Lucas Vázquez occupied the midfield. Destiny Udogie, Kevin Danso, Archie Gray, and Jed Spence formed the back four, and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario defended the goal.
AZ Alkmaar also deployed a 4-3-3 formation. Lado, Troy Parrott, and Ernest Poku formed the attacking combination, while Pier Kopmeiners, Zico Burmeister, and Jordi Classy handled the midfield. David Møller Oltvedt, Aleksandr Penetra, Wouter Hors, and Maikuma Seiya made up the back four, with goalkeeper Rom Jayden Ousu-Odoru guarding the net.
Tottenham, aiming to score, was left in despair by an own goal. In the 18th minute of the first half, during a corner kick, Parrott's shot was deflected by Vázquez but instead went high into the goal. It was recorded as an own goal by Vázquez.
Finishing the first half trailing 0-1, Tottenham continued to struggle offensively in the second half. Tottenham substituted Son Heung-min and Maddison for Wilson Odoeber and Dominic Solanke. Although Tottenham hoped for a goal from Solanke, who had returned from injury, he collapsed again with another injury and was eventually replaced by Dane Scarlett.
This is the worst outcome for Tottenham. They were evaluated to be superior in terms of strength but struggled to cope with AZ Alkmaar's pace and failed to secure a result. Moreover, losing their starting striker, who had just returned from injury, meant they missed out on both content and result.
Especially, Solanke's injury is disappointing. Tottenham has been suffering throughout the season due to injuries to key players, and the likelihood of not being able to use Solanke for some time has increased.
It is ironic that this is not an unfamiliar situation. Christian Romero and Mickey van de Ven, who had been sidelined with injuries throughout the season, both returned from injury in a match against Chelsea last December; however, both players collapsed with injuries again in that match. Tottenham is facing the same unfortunate outcome again, facing a dire situation for advancing to the quarter-finals.
According to a post on Tottenham's official channel after the match, head coach Postecoglou commented on Solanke's injury, saying, "I haven't seen him directly yet, but it seems to be a simple bruise. I hope it is not serious."
During the press conference, he added, "I don't know the exact condition. It seems like a simple shock, but I haven't properly confirmed it yet. I hope it is not a serious injury."
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