Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday started their UEFA Europa League campaign with a 3-0 win over Qarabag, despite playing more than 80 minutes with 10 men, but Son Heung-min gave the north Londoners an injury scare.
Radu Dragusin’s early dismissal was no obstacle for Ange Postecoglou’s side, who cruised to victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium thanks to goals from Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr and Dominic Solanke.
However, the sight of South Korea forward Son being forced off in the 70th minute would be concerning for Postecoglou, who cannot afford to be without his talismanic captain for a long period.
Photo: Reuters
“He said he was a bit tired, but I haven’t spoken to him or the medical staff yet,” Postecoglou said.
With a healthy Son, the Europa League could offer a path to silverware for Postecoglou, who boasts that he always enjoys success in his second season as he seeks to end a Spurs trophy drought dating back to 2007-2008.
Sterner tests await Tottenham, but they delivered a confident opener, once the game — delayed for 37 minutes after Qarabag were caught in heavy traffic — finally got underway.
“I wasn’t happy as I felt we started really sloppy. It was almost like the delay got to us,” Postecoglou said. “The reaction after the red card was good. We kept pressing high.”
Spurs were not fazed by being reduced to 10 men after just eight minutes when Romania defender Dragusin was sent off for pulling down Juninho as he raced through on goal.
They took the lead in the 12th minute through Johnson’s third goal in his past three games. Qarabag conceded possession cheaply deep inside their own half and Solanke teed up Johnson for a composed finish.
Sarr volleyed Tottenham’s second from close range after Qarabag goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski made a hash of catching a 52nd-minute corner.
Yves Bissouma’s foul on Elvin Cafarguliyev gave Qarabag a penalty four minutes later, but Toral Bayramov blazed the spot-kick over.
Solanke wrapped up the win in the 68th minute, slotting home to claim his second goal since his club record move from AFC Bournemouth.
Fuming about his team’s transport issues, Qarabag manager Gurban Gurbanov said: “Imagine being caught in traffic for more than two-and-a-half hours. There was no police to escort us. As soon as we arrived, we were told to start in 40 minutes. These things shouldn’t happen.”
Troubled AS Roma were held to a 1-1 draw by Athletic Bilbao after conceding a late equalizer at the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma fans were furious with the club’s decision to sack manager Daniele de Rossi, an iconic figure during his time as a Giallorossi player, just four matches into the season.
Given the unenviable task of replacing De Rossi, Ivan Juric inspired a 3-0 win against Udinese last weekend, but he was denied a second successive victory.
Artem Dovbyk put Roma in front after 32 minutes as the Ukrainian made it three goals in his past three games for his new club with a thumping header from Angelino’s cross, but Aitor Paredes headed Bilbao’s equalizer after Unai Nunez nodded across goal in the 85th minute.
Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce beat Royale Union Saint-Gilloise 2-1 as the Portuguese boss started his bid to win the tournament for the third time.
Mourinho, who won the competition with Manchester United and Porto, watched as Caglar Soyuncu put Fenerbahce ahead in the 26th minute, before Christian Burgess’ 82nd-minute own-goal doubled the lead.
Ross Sykes’ stoppage-time reply for Union came after Franjo Ivanovic missed a penalty for the visitors, who had Kevin Mac Allister sent off.
Ajax thrashed Besiktas 4-0 thanks to Mika Godts’ brace as well as goals from Kian Fitz-Jim and Kenneth Taylor.
Olympiakos, UEFA Europa Conference League winners last season, were beaten 2-0 at Olympique Lyonnais, while Rangers won 2-0 at Malmo.
Eintracht Frankfurt drew 3-3 with Viktoria Plzen, FCSB defeated Rigas 4-1 and Sporting Braga edged Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-1.
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
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