Tottenham played more than 80 minutes with 10 men in a 3-0 victory over Qarabag to open their Europa League campaign. Still, on September 26, Son Heung-min gave the north Londoners an injury scare.
Early Red Card and Spurs’ Resilience
Radu Dragusin’s early departure was not an obstacle for Ange Postecoglou’s side, which won comfortably at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium due to goals from Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr, and Dominic Solanke.
Seeing South Korean forward Son pulled off in the 70th minute will concern Postecoglou, who cannot afford to be without his lucky captain for an extended amount of time
Postecoglou, who boasts he always has success in his second season, could find a way to win silverware in the Europa League with a healthy Son. He is looking to break a trophy drought for Tottenham that dates back to 2008.
Confident Start Despite Qarabag Delay
Tottenham still has a ways to go, but they started the game with confidence despite the delay of 37 minutes caused by severe traffic for Qarabag.
After just eight minutes, Romanian defender Dragusin was sent off for bringing down Juninho as he was racing through on goal, but Tottenham were unfazed.
Johnson’s Early Goal
Johnson’s third goal in his past three outings gave them the lead in the 12th minute.
Qarabag gave control cheaply deep inside their own half, and Solanke set up Johnson for a calm finish from 10 yards.
The Wales forward had to delete his Instagram account due to fan abuse after a terrible season debut, but he has responded to his detractors admirably.
Sarr and Solanke Seal Victory
Spurs’ second goal came via a six-yard shot from Sarr after Mateusz Kochalski of Qarabag mishandled a corner kick in the 52nd minute.
Four minutes later, the referee awarded Qarabag a penalty kick after Yves Bissouma fouled Elvin Cafarguliyev, but Toral Bayramov smashed the kick wide.
In the 68th minute, Solanke scored his second goal after joining the team-record deal from Bournemouth during the off-season to seal the victory.
Elsewhere in Europa League
At the Stadio Olimpico, troubled Roma let up a late equaliser before Athletic Bilbao held them to a 1-1 draw.
Just four games into the season, Roma supporters were furious over the club’s recent decision to fire manager Daniele De Rossi, a legendary figure from his days as a Giallorossi player.
Ivan Juric, who was handed the difficult task of taking De Rossi’s place, led Udinese to a 3-0 triumph last weekend, but he was not able to win two straight games.
Bilbao’s Equaliser Frustrates Roma
After 32 minutes, Artem Dovbyk gave Roma the lead with a powerful header off of Angelino’s cross, giving the Ukrainian striker three goals in his past three games for his new team.
However, in the 85th minute, Unai Nunez nodded across goal, setting up Aitor Paredes to head Bilbao’s equaliser.
Fenerbahce Triumphs Over Union Saint-Gilloise
Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce defeated Union Saint-Gilloise 2-1, marking the beginning of the Portuguese manager’s attempt to win the competition three times in his career.
Mourinho, who won the competition with Manchester United and Porto, saw Fenerbahce take the lead in the 26th minute thanks to a goal from Caglar Soyuncu, then increase that advantage in the 82nd minute through an own goal by Christian Burgess.
Franjo Ivanovic missed a penalty for the visitors, and Kevin Mac Allister was sent off. Ross Sykes scored Union’s goal in extra time.
Other Europa League Results
The score was 4-0 for Ajax, as Mika Godts scored twice and Kian Fitz-Jim and Kenneth Taylor scored once each.
Olympiakos lost 2-0 at Lyon. Rayan Cherki and Said Benrahma scored both goals in the second half for Lyon, who won the UEFA Conference League last season.
Eintracht Frankfurt lost a two-goal lead when Vaclav Jemelka scored in extra time to tie the game.
Nedim Bajrami scored the Rangers’ opening goal in the first minute of the match, and Ross McCausland scored another goal in the 76th, as the team won 2-0 in Malmo.
Holabet News is your trusted online betting site in Singapore. Your winning journey starts here!