EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR HAS blamed fatigue for the penalty miss that ended Tottenham’s Europa League hopes against Basle.
The striker skied his spot-kick as the Swiss side won the match 4-1 on penalties, after the tie ended in a 4-4 draw over two legs.
Adebayor has faced loud criticism this year for his lack of goals since signing a permanent deal in North London, but insists that his misfortune on Thursday was not from a lack of effort.
“It’s tough,” he said. “You run around for 120 minutes, you give everything you have in your stomach, you are tired, you play with 10 men for 30 minutes and at the end of the day you have to take a penalty.
“The pressure is there when you take the ball. It’s not the reason why we missed. We had to score, but it’s not easy for us.
“I have taken penalties for Arsenal and Real Madrid. It’s a gamble.
“You miss or you score. I missed against Basle. I am very disappointed, but that’s football. You just have to keep focused and keep going.”
