Ange Postecoglou took charge of his first European match as Tottenham Hotspur coach this morning.
Tottenham will be hoping to do well in the competition, being one of the stronger sides, and will target it as a realistic possibility to end their long trophy drought.
It is a tough competition though, and they won't have it all their own way, as they found out in their opening match against Azerbaijan's Qarabag at home.
Here is how they got on in a match that had the potential to be a banana skin for Postecoglou and his team.
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10-man Spurs win opening Europa League match
Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham overcame an early red card to Radu Dragusin to secure a comfortable 3-0 win over Qarabag at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Dragusin received his marching orders after just seven minutes when he brought down Juninho as the last defender, getting a straight red card as a result.
Spurs were barely affected by it as they opened the scoring five minutes later through Brennan Johnson, who scored for the third match in a row.
Both sides missed big chances to score in the remainder of the first half, before Spurs doubled their advantage after the break, through Pape Sarr from a corner.
Pape Sarr has his first goal for Spurs since February, and it’s a mountain to climb for Qarabag now 👏
— Stan Sport Football (@StanSportFC) September 26, 2024
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Qarabag were gifted a golden chance to get back into the game when Yves Bissouma fouled Yassine Benzia in the box, but the spot-kick from Tural Bayramov was fired onto the crossbar and over.
Tottenham punished the miss by adding a third goal thanks to striker Dominic Solanke, who scored with a poachers finish to add a goal to his assist earlier in the game.
It was a clinical display from Tottenham, who finished with a lower xG than their opponents; this will please Postecoglou as too often this season they have had more chances but failed to convert them.
Tottenham Hotspur Europa League fixtures, results, schedule
As part of the new Europa League format, Tottenham will play four matches at home and four matches away in the league phase of the competition.
The marquee matchups for Ange Postecoglou include hosting Roma, as well as a match against Scottish side Rangers at Ibrox.
All of Spurs' Europa League matches can be watched live and exclusively in Australia on Stan Sport.
| Date | Fixture | Time (AEST/AEDT) | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 27 | Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag | 5:35 a.m. | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London |
| October 4th | Ferencvaros vs Tottenham Hotspur | 2:45 a.m. | Ferencvaros Stadion, Budapest |
| October 25th | Tottenham Hotspur vs AZ Alkmaar | 6:00 a.m. | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London |
| November 8th | Galatasaray vs Tottenham Hotspur | 4:45 a.m. | Rams Park, Istanbul |
| November 29th | Tottenham Hotspur vs AS Roma | 7:00 a.m. | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London |
| 13th December | Rangers vs Tottenham Hotspur | 7:00 a.m. | Ibrox, Glasgow |
| 24th January, 2025 | Hoffenheim vs Tottenham Hotspur | 4:45 a.m. | Rhein-Neckar Arena, Sinsheim |
| 31st January, 2025 | Tottenham Hotspur vs Elfsborg | 7:00 a.m. | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London |
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