Tottenham Hotspur marked their return to European competition after a year’s absence with a resounding 3-0 victory over Qarabag in the revamped Europa League on Thursday. The match, however, began with a setback for Spurs as defender Radu Dragusin received a red card in the eighth minute for bringing down Juninho, denying the forward a clear chance on goal.
Despite the early disadvantage, Tottenham quickly took control of the match. Just four minutes after the red card, Brennan Johnson found the back of the net for his third goal in as many games, giving Tottenham the lead. The momentum continued into the second half, with Pape Sarr doubling the advantage in the early stages following a corner kick. Dominic Solanke then put the game beyond doubt in the 68th minute, finishing off a rebound to secure a comfortable win for Tottenham.
“The red card was not ideal, we started really sloppily but the reaction afterwards was good,” Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou remarked to TNT Sports. “We wanted to press high, even with ten men.” Johnson’s impressive form continued, following his goal in a 3-1 Premier League win over Brentford and a stoppage-time winner in a 2-1 victory against second-division Coventry in the English League Cup just three days earlier.
Meanwhile, Roma, who have experienced a turbulent period following the firing of coach Daniele De Rossi, had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao. Artem Dovbyk put Roma in front in the first half, but Aitor Paredes equalized for Bilbao in the 85th minute. Roma, however, had a positive start under new coach Ivan Jurić, securing a 3-0 win over Udinese in Serie A on Sunday.
In other Europa League action, Ajax cruised to a 4-0 victory over Besiktas, with Mika Godts scoring twice, while Kian Fitz-Jim and Kenneth Taylor added a goal each. Viktoria Plzeň held high-flying Eintracht Frankfurt to a 3-3 draw, scoring two late goals through Prince Adu and Vaclav Jemelka. Frankfurt, the 2022 Europa League winners, had taken a 3-1 lead earlier in the match.
Olympiacos, last year’s Conference League champions, suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss to Lyon, conceding two goals in the second half. Braga secured a 2-1 victory over nine-man Maccabi Tel Aviv, while Romania’s FCSB triumphed 4-1 over Latvia’s RFS in Bucharest.
Fenerbahce, under the management of Jose Mourinho, opened their campaign with a 2-1 home win over Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise. Çağlar Söyüncü put Fenerbahce ahead in the 26th minute, followed by an own goal by Christian Burgess in the 82nd. Ross Sykes scored a late consolation for the visitors. Both teams finished the game with ten men, with Union’s Kevin Mac Allister and Fenerbahce substitute Bright Osayi-Samuel receiving red cards.
In another early game, Rangers, the 2022 Europa League runners-up, started their journey with a convincing 2-0 win over Malmö. Nedim Bajrami scored a goal within the opening minute, setting the tone for the match, and Ross McCausland added another goal in the second half.
The traditional group stage format of the Europa League has been replaced with an expanded league phase, involving all 36 teams in a single standings. Each team will play eight games against eight different opponents until January 30th. This new format promises to deliver exciting and competitive matches throughout the competition.
