It was a night to forget for Ghanaian forward Kamaldeen Sulemana, as Southampton suffered a crushing 5-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday.

Making his first start of the season, Kamaldeen’s outing was cut short in just 15 minutes. The Saints found themselves trailing 3-0 within the first quarter of an hour, with James Maddison opening the scoring after just 36 seconds. Heung-Min Son and Dejan Kulusevski quickly followed suit, leaving Southampton’s defence in shambles.

In a desperate attempt to stabilize his side, Southampton manager Russell Martin made the bold decision to substitute Kamaldeen for defender Nathan Wood. The move, intended to stem the tide, left the Ghanaian visibly frustrated. He was seen exchanging words with assistant coach Matt Gill on the touchline as he exited the pitch.

After the match, Martin addressed the situation, saying, “I feel for Kamaldeen, but we’re 3-0 down in 14 minutes. At that point, we needed a defender to plug the gaps. It’s not about his performance, and I feel bad for him that it’s him, but we had to do something.”

Despite the tactical adjustment, Southampton couldn’t regain composure, with Spurs continuing to dominate and handing the Saints one of their heaviest defeats of the season. For Kamaldeen, it was an unfortunate night, but the young Ghanaian will be eager to bounce back and prove his worth as Southampton look to recover from their latest setback.