UEL: 10-men Tottenham dismantle Qarabağ

Tottenham was so much better than Qarabag that they comfortably played with one man down for almost the entire match and still managed to secure a convincing victory. They could have even given the Azerbaijani club a goal "head start," and the outcome wouldn’t have been different. Despite Spurs being reduced to ten men due to a direct red card for Radu Drăgușin in the seventh minute, they triumphed 3-0 (1-0) in their opening match of the Europa League, earning their first three points. It’s no coincidence that Ange Postecoglou’s team is considered one of the main favorites to win the trophy in this second-tier European competition. However, it's fair to say that their opponent was not particularly challenging. While there were moments in both halves when the visitors had possession and took the initiative, they couldn’t find the back of the net. In fact, in the 58th minute, Toral Bayramov missed a penalty (shooting over the crossbar), after which the London club sealed the fate of their rivals. Tottenham scored at key intervals: Brennan Johnson opened the scoring in the 12th minute, giving Spurs the lead by halftime, and Pape Sarr and Dominic Solanke added goals in the 53rd and 68th minutes, respectively.

The Romanian defender was justifiably sent off for bringing down Juninho, who was Qarabag’s best player in this match. The Brazilian even found the back of Guglielmo Vicario’s net, but the goal was disallowed due to offside. Nevertheless, Tottenham punished every missed opportunity Qarabag had and secured a commanding victory. This win will surely lift their spirits after a series of poor results in the Premier League, including two recent losses to Newcastle and Arsenal. This weekend, they face an away match against Manchester United, while in their next Europa League fixture on October 3rd, they will travel to face Ferencváros.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - ROUND 1

Wednesday

AZ Alkmar - Elfsborg 3-2 (1-1)

/Van Bommel 44, 50, Parrott 75 pen - Ouma 23, Hedlund 53/

Bodo - Porto 3-2 (2-1)

/Hogh 15, Hauge 40,62 - Omorodion 8, Gul 90/

Anderlecht - Ferencvaros 2-1 (2-1)

/Verschaeren 60, Dolberg 66 pen - Traore 86/

Dynamo Kiev - Lazio 0-3 (0-3)

/Dia 4,35, Dele-Bashiru 33/

Galatasaray - PAOK 3-1 (3-1)

/Baba 48 og, Akgun 75, Icardi 90+5 - Konstantelias 67/

Ludogorets - Slavia Praha 0-2 (0-1)

/Jurasek 37, Chytil 65/

Man Utd - Twente 1-1 (1-0)

/Eriksen 35 - Lammers 68/

Midtjylland - Hoffenheim 1-1 (1-0)

/Osorio 42 - Moerstedt 89/

Nice - Sociedad 1-1 (0-1)

/Rosari0 45 - Barrenetxea 18/

Thursday

Fenerbahce - St.Gilloise 2-1 (1-0)

/Sounchu 28, Burgess 82(og) - Sykes 90+3/

Malmo - Rangers 0-2 (0-1)

/Bajrami 1, McCausland 76/

Ajax - Besiktas 4-0 (1-0)

/Fitz-Jim 31, Godts 51, 73, Taylor 55/

Roma - Ath.Bilbao 1-1 (1-0)

/Dovbyk 32 - Paredes 86/

Braga - Maccabi T.A. 2-1 (0-1)

/Bruma 88, 90+5(p) - Davida 30(p)/

Eintr.Frankfurt - Plzen 3-3 (1-1)

/Ekitike 38, Ebimbe 62, Kristensen 61 - Šulc 41, Adu 86, Jemelka 90+2/

FCSB - Rigas 4-1 (2-1)

/Birligea 8, Stefanescu 32, Olaru 58, 69 - Lipušček 23/

Olympique Lyon - Olympiakos 2-0 (0-0)

/Cherki 65, Benrahma 71/

Tottenham - Qarabag 3-0 (1-0)

/Johnson 12, Sarr 52, Solanke 68/