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Dejan Kulusevski Missed Open Goal Whilst Trying To Help Son Heung-min

Dejan Kulusevski Missed Open Goal Whilst Trying To Help Son Heung-min

The Tottenham Hotspur forward missed an easy chance against Norwich City as he attempted to set up Son for a goal to win the golden boot.

Dejan Kulusevski missed an open goal on the final day of last season because he was too busy thinking about Son Heung-min's Golden Boot award.

At the end of last season Son was able to pick up some personal silverware, with collective silverware still out of his and Harry Kane's reach at club level, by winning the Premier League Golden Boot.

Going into the last day of the season, the former Bayer Leverkusen forward was a goal behind Mohamed Salah in the race to be number one, even stopping to ask during the match if Salah had scored.

Son celebrates his much needed goal against Norwich. Image: Alamy
Son celebrates his much needed goal against Norwich. Image: Alamy

He was able to score twice, as Spurs beat Norwich City 5-0, and help the team secure a top four spot, but his chances of scoring were nearly messed up.

It took the 29-year-old till the 70th minute to score his first of the day but he might have had it slightly earlier, if Kulusevski had managed not to mess up a situation presented in front of him.

The former Juventus winger ended up with a virtual open goal in the 62nd minute and after a moment's pause decided to pass to Son, only he messed it all up.

On the DÅ ÄR VI IGÅNG podcast, the Swede explained the situation and how his panic and determination to help Son win the golden boot made him mess up.


"Two minutes before the goal, there was a weird situation. I was free with the goalkeeper. A lot of things went down," the Spurs forward said.

"A guy tackled me. I’m alone with the goalkeeper. I was thinking ‘Should I lay down? He’s going to get sent off.’

"But I was like ‘No, I have to score of course.’

"So their keeper comes out and then hesitates. So I realise that I’m going to get there first. So I run past him. I have an empty goal in front of me. I was like ‘Man, this is awkward’ I don’t really like to have an open goal.

"And the fans are right next to me, you know. They are shouting ‘Gimme, gimme’ right next to me. I’m like ‘Take a deep breath. Take your time, Dejan. You have an open goal’.

Kulusevski messed up from here. Image: Sky Sports
Kulusevski messed up from here. Image: Sky Sports

"I’m staring at it, you know it’s definitely empty! But I take one more touch. Then I think ‘Now maybe it is time to finally shoot’.

"But then I see Son. I see my teammate Son. He is like ‘Pass me the ball!’ He needs one more goal to win the Golden Boot. And we all have said before the game that we need to pass to Son. You know Son has to win the Golden Boot.

"So I’m like ‘Dejan, forget about the goal you have to assist Son’. I pass the ball and when I pass the ball I get stuck in the ground. So it becomes a wrong touch and the ball just rolls slowly towards the goal and they clear the ball at the goalline. And I just stand there after and think ‘Bro…Dejan… What the f**k are you doing?’

Kulusevski celebrates his goal. Image: Alamy
Kulusevski celebrates his goal. Image: Alamy

"I’m thinking ‘You are the biggest idiot’. And I felt so ashamed.

"And I got so frustrated and was like give me the ball again. Then two minutes later I get the ball again and then I don’t think at all I just put the ball in the top corner."

Kulusevski did score two minutes later, to make it 3-0, before Son bagged twice at the end of the match, with Salah's goal against Wolves drawing them level.

The Egyptian was nowhere near as happy with winning, after his side missed out on the Premier League title, but at least his dad probably thinks he's world class, unlike Son's...

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/Sky

Topics: Son Heung Min, Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, Norwich City, Mohamed Salah