LONDON (AFP) – Tottenham kicked off their Europa League campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Qarabag, despite being down to 10 men for over 80 minutes. However, the match brought an injury scare for Son Heung-min, who was substituted in the 70th minute.
Radu Dragusin’s early red card did not deter Ange Postecoglou’s squad, who secured their win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with goals from Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr, and Dominic Solanke.
The departure of South Korean forward Son raised concerns for Postecoglou, who cannot afford to lose his influential captain for an extended period. “He mentioned he was a bit tired, but I haven’t had the chance to speak with him or the medical team yet,” Postecoglou stated.
With Son healthy, the Europa League could provide a pathway to silverware for Postecoglou, who is known for finding success in his second season while aiming to break Tottenham’s trophy drought that has lasted since 2008.
Despite tougher challenges ahead, Tottenham displayed confidence in their opener, which was delayed for 37 minutes due to Qarabag being caught in heavy traffic.
“I wasn’t pleased because I felt we started off really poorly. It was as if the delay affected us,” Postecoglou remarked. “But our reaction after the red card was impressive, and we maintained our high pressing.”
Tottenham quickly adjusted after being reduced to 10 men just eight minutes into the match when Dragusin was sent off for pulling down Juninho as he broke through on goal. They took the lead in the 12th minute when Johnson scored his third goal in three games, capitalizing on a defensive error from Qarabag.
Sarr added a second goal with a volley from close range after Qarabag goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski mishandled a corner in the 52nd minute. Although Qarabag was awarded a penalty after Yves Bissouma fouled Elvin Cafarguliyev, Toral Bayramov missed the chance, firing the penalty over the bar.
Solanke sealed the victory in the 68th minute, scoring his second goal since joining from Bournemouth during the close season.
Frustrated by his team’s travel issues, Qarabag manager Gurban Gurbanov commented, “Imagine being stuck in traffic for over two and a half hours. There was no police escort. As soon as we arrived, we were told to start in 40 minutes. These situations shouldn’t occur.”
ROMA DENIED
In other matches, troubled Roma were held to a 1-1 draw by Athletic Bilbao after conceding a late equalizer at the Stadio Olimpico. Roma fans expressed outrage over the club’s recent decision to dismiss Daniele De Rossi, a club legend, just four games into the season.
Ivan Juric, who took over following De Rossi’s departure, had led Roma to a 3-0 win against Udinese last weekend but was unable to secure another victory. Artem Dovbyk put Roma ahead in the 32nd minute with a powerful header from Angelino’s cross, marking his third goal in as many games. However, Aitor Paredes equalized for Bilbao with a header in the 85th minute.
Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce began their quest for a third Europa League title with a 2-1 victory over Union Saint-Gilloise. Caglar Soyuncu opened the scoring in the 26th minute, followed by an own goal from Christian Burgess in the 82nd minute. Ross Sykes pulled one back for Union in stoppage time after Franjo Ivanovic missed a penalty and Kevin Mac Allister was sent off.
Ajax dominated Besiktas with a 4-0 win, featuring a brace from Mika Godts along with goals from Kian Fitz-Jim and Kenneth Taylor. Meanwhile, Olympiakos, last season’s UEFA Conference League champions, fell 2-0 to Lyon, and Rangers secured a 2-0 victory against Malmo.
