“We beat ourselves” – Kevin Akpoguma reacts to Hoffenheim loss to Tottenham

By Wale Mustapha

Nigerian defender Kevin Akpoguma has expressed his disappointment after Hoffenheim’s 3-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.

Akpoguma, who played the full 90 minutes for the German side, was unable to prevent the home defeat, which has left Hoffenheim in a difficult position.

The centre-back attributed the loss to defensive mistakes, particularly highlighting lapses in communication.

“We beat ourselves today. We communicated too late for the goal that made it 1-0. The goal for 2-0 is also very annoying; that cannot happen to us,” Akpoguma said after the match.

He continued, “We saw that something was possible. We got ourselves into situations, but the finishing wasn’t quite right. It was much better in the second half; we came out well.

“We should’ve just kept going, but we lost our balance in the minutes that followed. That brought Tottenham back into the game.”

The defeat leaves Hoffenheim’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages hanging by a thread. They currently sit 28th in the standings, with just six points from seven games.