Mohamed Magdy  

36 i

Solanke on song as Spurs recover from red card

Ange Postecoglou had talked about how keenly Tottenham felt their absence from European competition last season – a “real gap in our calendar”, as the manager put it. And so what was a further 35-minute wait?

It was a night of transport chaos around the stadium, overland trains suspended, roads blocked and kick-off delayed. It set the tone for a wild tie against Qarabag, Tottenham’s Europa League curtain-raiser featuring a red card for their centre-back Radu Dragusin inside seven minutes and countless close shaves in front of their goal. How did they manage a clean sheet? Guglielmo Vicario was a big part of the reason.

Spurs made their punches count at the other end and when Dominic Solanke made it 3-0 in the 68th minute, they could coast to victory. Which is not a line that chimed with much of what had gone before.

Brennan Johnson, though, made it three goals in three games with the opener and Pape Sarr got the second, leaving the club’s fans to revel in a fun occasion. It will be a long road to the final in Bilbao. Spurs are up and running.

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