Lucas Bergvall stuns with ‘absolutely remarkable’ reaction after Tottenham howler
Lucas Bergvall’s reaction after a massive mistake as Tottenham struggled on the continent left Jamie O’Hara blown away.
Spurs had only lost once in their Europa League campaign this season, against Galatasaray, and were facing off against AZ Alkmaar, having already beaten the Dutch side 1-0 this season (24 October).
Daniel Levy will sack Ange Postecoglou if Tottenham fail to win the Europa League, according to Simon Jordan.
The North London club went into their game against AZ full of confidence, but had an awful start in their first-leg match, thanks to a howler from Bergvall.
Lucas Bergvall makes ‘big mistake’ for Tottenham vs AZ Alkmaar
With 18 minutes gone, Peer Koopmeiners swung in a cross, which picked out former Tottenham youngster Troy Parrott, who then scuffed his shot into the ground, and as it looped up, Bergvall took a swipe at it, kneeing the ball into his own net.
Looking to the sky, the young Swedish midfielder was clearly frustrated, but speaking on Sky Sports News, O’Hara was impressed by the resolve shown by the Spurs star thereafter, saying (6.26pm): “Bergvall made a big mistake, he scored an own goal, but the character he has shown since it has been absolutely remarkable.
“Fair play to him, he’s a young kid. And you know what? It made me feel really happy for him because we all make mistakes, footballers make mistakes in football matches.
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | Bergvall |
| Appearances | 20 |
| Starts | 8 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Minutes | 838 |
“But he’s gone out there, he’s rolled his sleeves up, and gone ‘Okay, I’m not gonna go and hide, I’m not gonna shy away from the ball, I’m gonna go and get on it’.
“And that says to me what a player he is. You can make a mistake but the character he’s shown since that mistake has been remarkable.”
The 19-year-old showed his character by making a sliding block on a shot from Koopmeiners, and had it not been for the own goal, that moment could have been one of the match’s main talking points.
Lucas Bergvall’s fighting spirit a sign that Ange Postecoglou can turn around awful season
Football Insider Verdict
Postecoglou has been on the hot seat for what feels like an eternity, but the Australian boss is slowly turning things around.
The former Celtic boss was nominated for the Premier League manager-of-the-month for February, and whilst it feels unlikely he will win the award, it is a sign of progress in North London.
Tottenham have been decimated by injuries this season, but as players like Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero make their returns, Spurs will improve.
The squad building by Daniel Levy has left much to be desired, with Dominic Solanke being brought in from Bournemouth as the club’s only summer signing aged above 20-years-old, having finished fifth last season.
However, after failing to capitalise on a good first season under Postecoglou, the aim now will be to use the younger players in the squad, like Bergvall, to build for the coming years.