Tottenham Hotspur kicked off their Europa League campaign with a resounding 3-0 victory over Qarabag FK, despite playing with 10 men for the majority of the match. However, the triumph was marred by an injury scare involving star forward Son Heung-min.
Radu Dragusin's early dismissal for a reckless challenge on Juninho left Tottenham shorthanded, but Ange Postecoglou's side remained unfazed. Brennan Johnson opened the scoring in the 12th minute, capitalizing on a defensive error by Qarabag.
Pape Sarr doubled Tottenham's lead in the 52nd minute with a clinical volley, and Dominic Solanke sealed the victory in the 68th minute. Qarabag had a chance to pull one back from the penalty spot, but Toral Bayramov's effort sailed over the bar.
Despite the comfortable win, Postecoglou expressed concern over Son's injury, which forced the South Korean off in the 70th minute. "He said he was a bit tired, but I haven't spoken to him or the medical staff yet," Postecoglou said.
The Europa League could provide Tottenham with a path to silverware this season, as Postecoglou aims to end the club's trophy drought dating back to 2008. However, sterner tests await the north Londoners, who will need to maintain their composure and resilience in the face of adversity.
Meanwhile, Roma's Europa League campaign got off to a disappointing start with a 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao. Artem Dovbyk gave Roma the lead in the first half, but Aitor Paredes' late equalizer denied the Italian side a victory.
Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce enjoyed a 2-1 win over Union Saint-Gilloise, with Caglar Soyuncu and Christian Burgess scoring the goals. Ajax thrashed Besiktas 4-0, while Olympiakos suffered a 2-0 defeat at Lyon. Rangers secured a 2-0 victory at Malmo.
Tags: #Tottenham, #EuropaLeague, #SonHeungMin, #QarabagFK, #AngePostecoglou
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