Tottenham played with 10 men for over 80 minutes after defender Radu Dragusin was sent off just seven minutes into their Europa League match.
Despite being reduced to 10 men early on, Tottenham opened their Europa League campaign with a 3-0 victory over Qarabag. However, an injury scare for Son Heung-min overshadowed the win on Thursday. Radu Dragusin’s early red card didn’t hinder Ange Postecoglou’s team, as they secured the win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with goals from Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr, and Dominic Solanke.
The injury to South Korean forward Son, who was forced off in the 70th minute, will be concerning for Postecoglou, who will be hoping not to lose his key captain for an extended period.
“He mentioned feeling a bit tired, but I haven’t yet spoken to him or the medical team,” Postecoglou commented.
With a fit Son, the Europa League presents a potential route to silverware for Postecoglou, who has a track record of achieving success in his second season, as he aims to end Tottenham’s trophy drought that dates back to 2008.
Although tougher challenges await, Tottenham delivered a solid start after the match — delayed by 37 minutes due to Qarabag being stuck in traffic — finally began.
“I wasn’t pleased as we started off quite sluggishly. It seemed like the delay affected us,” Postecoglou remarked.
“Our reaction to the red card was good. We maintained high pressure.”
Tottenham were unfazed by the loss of Dragusin in the eighth minute after the Romanian defender was sent off for pulling down Juninho, who was breaking through on goal.
Johnson opened the scoring in the 12th minute with his third goal in three games, capitalizing on a mistake by Qarabag, who lost possession deep in their own half, allowing Solanke to assist Johnson for a composed finish from 10 yards out.
Sarr added a second in the 52nd minute, volleying in from six yards after Qarabag’s goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski mishandled a corner.
Qarabag had a chance to pull one back when Yves Bissouma fouled Elvin Cafarguliyev, resulting in a penalty, but Toral Bayramov sent the spot-kick over the bar.
Solanke sealed the win in the 68th minute, slotting in his second goal since joining Tottenham from Bournemouth in the summer.
Qarabag manager Gurban Gurbanov expressed his frustration over the transportation issues that delayed his team: “Imagine being stuck in traffic for more than two and a half hours. We had no police escort.”
“Once we arrived, we were told we had 40 minutes to start. This shouldn’t happen.”
Roma Stumbles
Struggling Roma were held to a 1-1 draw by Athletic Bilbao after conceding a late equalizer at the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma fans were already upset by the club’s decision to sack their iconic boss Daniele De Rossi just four games into the season.
Ivan Juric, tasked with replacing De Rossi, led Roma to a 3-0 victory over Udinese last weekend but was denied back-to-back wins.
Artem Dovbyk gave Roma the lead in the 32nd minute with a powerful header from Angelino’s cross, marking his third goal in as many games for his new club.
However, Aitor Paredes equalized for Bilbao in the 85th minute, heading in after Unai Nunez nodded the ball across the goal.
Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce secured a 2-1 win over Union Saint-Gilloise, with goals from Caglar Soyuncu and an own goal by Christian Burgess. Ross Sykes scored a stoppage-time consolation for Union after Franjo Ivanovic missed a penalty and Kevin Mac Allister was sent off.
Elsewhere, Ajax routed Besiktas 4-0, with Mika Godts scoring twice and Kian Fitz-Jim and Kenneth Taylor adding to the tally.
Olympiakos, last season’s UEFA Conference League winners, suffered a 2-0 defeat at Lyon, while Rangers won 2-0 against Malmo.
