Lost to a team promoted from the 3rd division
To the fans, “I feel responsible and I’m sorry”
Order performance from the players through official channels
Played in ‘Hongmyeongboho’ on Thursday afternoon
Son Heun-min shakes his head after losing a game against a promoted team. /Photo = REUTERS Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min publicly apologized to fans as captain. This is because it became the first victory sacrifice for the promoted team, Ipswich Town.
According to Football London, Son Heung-min was “very disappointed” after losing 1-2 in the 11th round home game of the 2024-2025 English Professional Football Premier League (EPL) against Ipswich held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England on the 11th (Korean time). “We need to show better performance,” he said.
Son Heung-min said, “The opponent scored two goals. We had several opportunities to score before conceding a goal. We did not score and easily gave up two goals. It is important to protect the penalty box at home, but it is a very unfortunate situation.” He said. He then apologized, saying, “Everyone should feel greater responsibility. I would like to say I am sorry for this result.”
In the match against Ipswich, Son Heung-min played as a left-sided striker in a 4-3-3 formation and played all 90 minutes in the first and second halves. Tottenham, led by Son Heung-min, appeared to dominate the game with 17 shots and 67% ball possession, but ended up scoring only one goal.
Ipswich, who defeated Tottenham, is a team that returned to the first division after 22 years after dropping to the second division and even the third division after the 2001-2002 season. Until the 10th round, they had not achieved a single win with 5 draws and 5 losses. This is why Tottenham was labeled a ‘shock loss’ in this game.
Son Heung-min ordered the players to focus on improving their performance through Spurs Play, the club’s official channel. He said, “We can be a really strong team. Everyone saw that in games like Manchester City and Aston Villa,” and added, “We have to be as strong when we play against Ipswich as we would against a team like Aston Villa.” did it
After finishing the game, Son Heung-min is expected to move to Kuwait and join the Korean national soccer team led by coach Hong Myung-bo. Among Tottenham players, those selected to the national team also play for their country.
Finally, Son Heung-min said to the players, “Everyone needs to follow more discipline. Once the (team-level) plan is decided, everyone can follow it. That’s the main way for us to become stronger, and we will come out stronger after the international break.” “I hope you come back,” he encouraged.
Meanwhile, the national team led by coach Hong Myung-bo will play the 5th game of Group B of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asian Region 3rd Qualifier against Kuwait at the Jaber Al Ahmed International Stadium in Kuwait City, Kuwait at 11 PM Korean time on the 14th.
Kim Young-ri, Hankyung.com reporter smartkim@hankyung.com
