Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag - Dragusin sent off early on
Johnson slots home opener for hosts before Sarr and Solanke net
Visitors blaze penalty over the bar
Kick-off was delayed due to travel disruption until 20:35 BST
Spurs playing in first Europa League tie of campaign
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That's all from us for tonight at Tottenham get their European campaign up and running with a win.
You feel they will need to be much better, however, with a trip to Old Trafford up next for them on Sunday.
We'll be back on Saturday for coverage of all the weekend's football. See you later.
FT: Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
Image source, Getty ImagesFinally from Ange Postecoglou, speaking to TNT Sports: "I felt we needed a second. We worked hard on our set-pieces. It's great for Pape [Sarr] who I thought was great today.
"Pape took his goal well and that's his first 90 minutes for us this year and he played strong."
On Dominic Solanke: "He has been great for us Dom. He went through that long drought of two games without a goal!
"He has been fantastic for us not just goals, but his link-up plays. He is a typical striker.
"He is still working his way back to full fitness."
FT: Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesQarabag manager Gurban Gurbanov admitted Tottenham's experience in top competitions told over his "excited" players in his post match comments.
But also complained that the "severe" travel problems which delayed kick-off by 35 minutes had an impact in their 3-0 defeat in North London.
He said: "Imagine being caught in traffic for more than two and a half hours. I cannot just make excuses for this, it shouldn’t have happened and there was no police to escort us.
"It had a big impact on our footballers but it doesn’t take away from our opponent. They are a good team and we don’t turn a blind eye to that.
"As soon as we arrived, we were told to start in 40 minutes and we were not as ready or prepared as we should have been. These things shouldn’t happen."
FT: Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
Glenn Hoddle
Former England and Tottenham manager on TNT Sports
Brennan Johnson has scored three in three. He come off at half-time and I presume he's got a knock.
Dominic Solanke with a tap-in, he followed it in first and stroked it in.
It's all about the confidence and Solanke will get better.
FT: Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
Peter Crouch
Ex-England and Tottenham striker on TNT Sports
Image source, Getty ImagesThere were incredible chances and Qarabag on another day could have got two or three.
FT: Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, speaking to TNT Sports about the early red card:
"Not ideal. I wasn't happy as I felt we started really sloppy. We talked about starting with a high-tempo and it was almost like the delay got to us.
"We were passive in our passing and when that happens someone switches off.
"The reaction after that was good, but I'm not happy with the start."
On Lucas Bergvall being sacrificed: "That's football. He is 18 and he will get plenty more games. We needed an extra midfielder in there to make sure we had cover.
"An adjustment we needed to make - Lucas will get plenty of opportunities."
On Brennan Johnson's goal: "Brennan's was great.
"With 10 men we still pressed which is what we wanted to do.
"He has some confidence in him which is great - we need him!
"We knew if we win it [the ball] Brennan and Sonny [Son] would have the space.
"I wanted to get Dejan [Kulusevski] on as he runs hard and I felt we would need some legs in the second half, Brennan is fine."
Image source, Getty ImagesFT: Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
Tottenham forward Dominic Solanke, speaking to TNT Sports: "Very happy to get the win, the boys fought hard.
"Going down to 10 men it could have been a difficult game, but we all stuck to the game-plan and it shows the spirit of the team."
On the delayed kick-off: "It was quite difficult to be fair. We prepped for a 20:00 kick-off, but we stayed ready. We could've had a better start, but we grew into the game.
"I can still get fitter. I had that injury at the start of the season which knocked my rhythm."
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Don’t think I’ve ever seen such a poor performance from a team that won a European game 3-0.
Ricky
Great start to the Europa League at home. Seeing Brennan Johnson and Solanke score is the icing on the cake. We move onto Sunday now COYS!
Anon
To go a man down after seven minutes and win 3-0 - I will take that any day.
Anon
FT: Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
Glenn Hoddle
Former England and Tottenham manager on TNT Sports
Image source, Getty ImagesTottenham never make it easy. They got a clean sheet and there were a lot of chances for Qarabag, but they didn't take them.
It is a great result, but they have got to improve from that performance.
Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter
When kick-off was delayed by 35 minutes, Ange Postecoglou must have thought ahead to Manchester United on Sunday and thought that it was far from ideal, given Erik ten Hag's were already getting an extra day's rest.
But a match against Azerbaijani team Qarabag was made all the more difficult after seven minutes when Radu Dragusin was sent off for a last man foul.
That made this match hard work and made it difficult to rest players during the match.
Until Dominic Solanke made it 3-0, the match was very competitive but in setting up the goal, Son Heung-min appeared to injure himself.
It remains unclear whether he was just taken off as a precaution but he took treatment on the pitch and walked gingerly off while Archie Gray, who was impressive in his second start, struggled with an ankle knock late on.
Postecoglou will address the fitness of his players in his post match comments and likely tomorrow at another press conference ahead of their visit to Old Trafford.
FT: Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
We've only played one game, of course, but Tottenham are up to fourth thanks to three goals and a clean sheet. They next play Ferencvaros on 3 October.
Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
All over and the 10-man of Tottenham take the three points.
It wasn't exactly comfortable, despite the scoreline, but a goal and assist for Dominic Solanke and some poor finishing by Qarabag helped ensure they got the job done.
Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
There's three minutes of time added on.
Image source, ReutersTottenham 3-0 Qarabag
Pape Sarr drives into the Qarabag box and tries to slip the ball to Mikey Moore, whose eyes light up for a moment at the prospect of a goal on his European debut, but a defender gets a cross to hammer the ball away just in time.
Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
Another opportunity for Qarabag to score as Tottenham fail to deal with a low ball across the box but Emmanuel Addai gets his shot all wrong.
It isn't going to happen for them, despite some great build up play at times.
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Image source, ReutersAs a Spurs fan, I have never felt so uninspired being 3-0 up. So sloppy and uncreative. Lucky against Coventry and lucky tonight. Poor, just poor.
Anon
Tottenham, see sense! You can't hope to win anything while giving away so many chances. A decent side would have punched us severely.
Brendan
Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
After a fine performance on his European debut, Dominic Solanke is applauded as he goes off, 17-year-old midfielder Mikey Moore is on to in turn make his European debut.
Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
Dominic Solanke is the first Spurs player to both score and assist on his debut in major European competition since Darren Bent in September 2007.
Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
Qarabag make a couple of changes with 10 minutes to go as Marko Jankovic is on for Abdellah Zoubir and Matheus Silva makes way for Abbas Huseynov.
Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag
Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesSon Heung-min was involved in the third goal as he saw his shot spilled by Mateusz Kochalski before the rebound was turned in by Dominic Solanke.
That goal sealed victory for Spurs in North London but the captain pulled up, had treatment and was substituted for Timo Werner.
It could just be precautionary but the South Korean looked stiff while walking off the field.
Manager Ange Postecoglou will no doubt address the situation in his post match comments and there is another press conference tomorrow ahead of a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.
Brennan Johnson has scored in each of his last three Spurs games
Tottenham began their Europa League campaign with an impressive victory over Qarabag despite going down to 10 men from the seventh minute.
After a 35-minute delay to kick-off at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium because of travel disruptions, the home side were dealt an early blow when defender Radu Dragusin was shown a straight red card for bringing down Juninho in a one-on-one as the Brazilian raced through on goal.
Despite that, Brennan Johnson had the ball in the back of the net five minutes later when Qarabag were caught playing out from the back and Dominic Solanke placed it into the path of the 23-year-old to slot into the bottom corner.
It was Johnson's third goal in as many games.
Pape Sarr doubled Spurs' lead in the 52nd minute, controlling the loose ball at the far post before smashing home.
Qarabag were awarded a penalty three minutes later when Yves Bissouma brought Elvin Cafarquliyev down, but Toral Bayramov’s spot-kick was poor and pinged off the crossbar.
The Azerbaijan Premier League champions created an abundance of chances, with Guglielmo Vicario making some fine saves, but ultimately Qarabag lacked the cutting edge that Ange Postecoglou's side showed at the other end.
Solanke wrapped up victory in the 68th minute after goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski pushed Son Heung-min's strike from distance into the striker's path and he produced a confident finish.
Postecoglou said before the match the expanding football schedule is reaching a "dangerous level" and therefore used it as an opportunity to shuffle his pack, making six changes from the side that beat Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.
He handed 18-year-olds Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray their second Spurs starts but, following Dragusin's dismissal, midfielder Bergvall was sacrificed as defender Destiny Udogie came on.
Swede Bergvall, who snubbed Barcelona to join Spurs in the summer, looked forlorn on the bench as his opportunity to show Postecoglou why he should get more starts was cut short.
There were plenty of positives to take for Postecoglou, though.
Valuable minutes for his young players, a clean sheet despite being down to 10 men and confidence-boosting goals for summer signing Solanke as well as Johnson, who reportedly deactivated his Instagram account because of criticism received in the wake of his club's derby defeat to Arsenal earlier this month.
But Spurs' all-out attacking style often leaves them vulnerable to the counter-attack.
Qarabag must have wondered what else they needed to do to find the net as the wasteful Juninho had a goal ruled out for offside, Bayramov went close several times and Vicario produced a brilliant save to deny Cafarquliyev's long-range strike.
The sight of Son hobbling off in the second half could also be a concern as Spurs face Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, before a trip to Hungary to face Ferencvaros next week.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ajax | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
|
| 2 | FCSB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
|
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| |
| 5 | Galatasaray | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| |
| 7 | Slavia Prague | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
|
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| |
| 9 | AZ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 10 | Bodø / Glimt | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 11 | Anderlecht | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 12 | Fenerbahçe | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 13 | Sporting Braga | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 14 | Viktoria Plzeň | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
|
| 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 19 | Twente | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
| 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 21 | Midtjylland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
| 22 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 24 | Elfsborg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 0 |
|
| 25 | Porto | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 0 |
|
| 26 | Ferencváros | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
| 27 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
| 28 | Union Saint-Gilloise | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
| 29 | PAOK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
|
| 30 | Ludogorets | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
|
| 31 | Malmö FF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
|
| 32 | Olympiakos Piraeus | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
|
| 33 | Rīgas FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
|
| 34 | Dynamo Kyiv | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
|
| 35 | Qarabağ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
|
| 36 | Beşiktaş | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
|
Manager: Ange Postecoglou
Formation: 4 - 3 - 3
Manager: Qurban Qurbanov
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Ange Postecoglou
Formation: 4 - 3 - 3
Manager: Qurban Qurbanov
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
UEFA Europa League
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This is the third meeting between Tottenham Hotspur and Qarabag in major European competition, with Spurs winning both previous meetings in the 2015/16 group stage of the UEFA Europa League (3-1 & 1-0).
Qarabag have lost all six of their meetings with English sides in all competitions – twice vs Spurs (2015-16), twice vs Chelsea (2017-18) and twice vs Arsenal (2018-19).
Tottenham have lost just one of their last eight matches in the UEFA Europa League (W6 D1), although this defeat did come in their most recent such match – 0-3 against Dinamo Zagreb in March 2021.
Qarabag reached the round of 16 in last season’s UEFA Europa League, the furthest they’ve advanced in a major European competition. Their four wins were also their most in a single such campaign.
Qarabag’s Juninho has been involved in five goals in his last six appearances in major European competition (4 goals, 1 assist), netting in both round of 16 matches against Bayer 04 Leverkusen last season.
