West Ham United right-back Vladimir Coufal has admitted that he was ‘afraid’ of going up against Tottenham’s deadly front duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
Coufal was specifically talking about the 3-3 draw which the two sides played out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in October 2020. The game will not elicit fond memories for Spurs fans as the Hammers produced a dramatic comeback to deny the Lilywhites a win.
Tottenham raced into an early 3-0 lead courtesy of a strike from Son and a quickfire Kane brace, and the game looked dead and buried before the away side scored three goals in quick succession in the final 10 minutes to walk away with a point.
Coufal admitted that he expected David Moyes to take him off when Spurs went 3-0 up but revealed that he grew in confidence as the game went on.
The Czech Republic international remarked that managing to keep Son quiet for the majority of that encounter gave him confidence that he belonged at that level.
Coufal told outlet Bezfrazi: “Our coach told us before the match that Son and Kane are dangerous. And I was afraid of them – plus, these two scored three goals in just the first 15 minutes.
“I was thinking maybe the coach would get me off the field, even though the goals were not my mistake. It would be the coaches’ right, nonetheless.
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“Seventy minutes in and we were still losing 3-0. I begged the time to be over. I played so well that I could go on for another two halftimes. I was everywhere on my side of the field, knowing our opponents had no idea how to get through me.
“No. I’m not just an extra here. I’m supposed to be leading here. I rightfully belong here. Son had nothing in the rest of the game and I realized what self-confidence can do; how easy football can be because of it. In the end, we tied 3-3.
“During the last 12 minutes of the game, we scored three goals and created a new Premier League record. The West Ham community finally knew I belonged in the core 11 of their team.
“I’m on the national team now to prove my words and position. I have a responsibility to you all. And I do not intend on hiding.”
Spurs Web Opinion
To this day, I get immensely frustrated when I watch Lanzini’s late equaliser. We had several golden opportunities to put that game to bed in the second half but failed to do so. The ending to the game was a freak event, with West Ham pretty much scoring with every shot they had on target.
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