Deflated Jose Mourinho Issues Heartfelt Apology to Fans After Europa League Exit
- Tottenham were knocked out by Dinamo Zagreb after losing 3-0 in the second leg in Croatia
- The poor performance followed a 2-1 derby defeat against Arsenal over the weekend
- Mourinho, in a press conference after the game, said he was more than sad and apologised to fans
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Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho issued a heartfelt apology to fans after his side dramatically crashed out of the Europa League at the hands of Dinamo Zagreb.
Source: Getty Images
Leading 2-0 from the first leg, the North London outfit only needed to manage the game for 90 minutes to progress to the last eight.
They seemed to have done an impressive job until the hour mark when Mislav Orsic pulled one goal back and from then, there were signs the tie could be taken away from Spurs.
Orsic would go on to score late on to force extra time, then seal his hat trick in the 106th minute to ensure more misery for Jose Mourinho’s side.
Speaking after the game, the former Man United and Real Madrid boss was rather apologetic to fans, although he seemed to blame the defeat on his players’ attitudes.
"They [Dinamo] left sweat, energy, blood. In the end they left even tears of happiness," Mourinho told BT Sport. "They were very humble and committed. I have to praise them.
"On the other side, my team - I repeat, my team - didn't look like it was playing an important match. If for any one of them it is not important, for me it is.
"I am disappointed for a difference of attitude of one team to another. I feel sorry that my team is the team that didn't bring to the game not just the basics of football but the basics of life, which is to respect our jobs and to give everything.
In the absence of injured Heung Min Son, Spurs forced two good saves from goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic but it proved to be too little too late as damage had already been inflicted.
"Football is not just about players who think they have more quality than others. The basis of football is attitude. They beat us on that,” Mourinho analysed.
Spurs performance on the night also earned them some brutal criticism from their former boss Glen Hoddle, who dubbed their performance "diabolical" and "a disaster".
Where do Spurs go from here?
At the moment, Spurs are still in the hunt for a Champions League place and they have a chance to clinch silverware in the Carabao Cup in April, although they will look at themselves as underdogs against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Earlier, Legit.ng had reported how Tottenham Hotspur crashed out of the Europa League in the Round of 16 after suffering a 3-0 defeat against Dinamo Zagreb.
Spurs squandered a 2-0 goal advantage salvaged in the first leg of the tie played in London last week to exit the tournament.
Harry Kane scored a sensational brace during the meeting, leaving Zagreb with a mountainous task to overturn the shoreline during the return fixture.
Ibitoye Shittu is an award winning Sports Journalist with more than 10 years experience in News-writing, reporting and Public Relation. He is an HND and B.SC holder of Mass Communication and can be reached on Twitter @Ibishittu
Source: Legit.ng
