Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has sought to clarify his exchange with angry fans following the “terrible” Europa League defeat by AZ Alkmaar, apologising to anyone who took offence.
Spurs had their No1 to thank for keeping them alive in the last-16 tie after an abject performance in Thursday night’s first-leg clash in the Netherlands that was decided by an early freak own goal from Lucas Bergvall, making some crucial saves to deny the likes of ex-Tottenham striker Troy Parrott and keep the deficit at only 1-0 as the visitors mustered just one shot on target in the 88th minute.
However, he received some criticism after the game after standing in front of the away end at AFAS Stadion and waving his arms in an apparent attempt to ask for more support, which produced an angry response from the travelling fans as Vicario then walked away frustrated.
The Italian later told reporters in Alkmaar that he understood the frustration and that supporters were entitled to feel disappointed, but urged the fans and the club to stick together as they attempt to engineer a turnaround in the second leg on home soil next week, after the visit of Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Manager Ange Postecoglou also spoke out in support of Vicario on Friday, insisting the goalkeeper was “very passionate” and cared a lot about the club, describing him as “one of the purest human beings you could ever come across” and insisting that he did not have “one bad or vindictive bone in his make-up”.
Vicario has now addressed the incident again in a new post on his Instagram account, which reads: “As a team, we take full responsibility for our terrible performance on the pitch last night. We will work even harder to understand, as a mature group, what went wrong.
“Still, we have a great opportunity, starting from Sunday, to redeem ourselves and prepare in the best way possible for the second battle next Thursday.
“Regarding what happened at the final whistle in front of the away section, I want to clarify my intention to keep everyone as united as possible, even in the disappointment we have caused our people. If I have offended anyone, I apologise to those who felt affected.
“Post-match emotions can be misunderstood, but I assure you that my commitment to this team and you, our fans, grows stronger day after day. COYS, together.”
