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    Watch as Tottenham star Radu Dragusin sent off for moment of madness just SEVEN MINUTES into Europa League tie

    RADU DRAGUSIN was sent off after just SEVEN minutes in Tottenham’s Europa League opener against Qarabag.The Romanian was brought into central defence to play alongside Micky van de Ven at the heart of defence.Radu Dragusin was sent off after just seven minutes against QarabagCredit: RexDragusin was caught sleeping on the ball by Juninho before he took down the Qarabag attackerIt left referee Willy Delajod with no choice but to send him off for a last-man foulIt made Dragusin the first ever player for Spurs to be sent off on their Europa League debutHowever, just seven minutes into Spurs’ Europa League, Dragusin was sent for an early shower.It came as he was caught sleeping on the ball by live-wire forward Juninho.After poking the ball away from Dragusin, Juninho managed to get his body across Dragusin before tumbling to the floor after a trip and the pulling of his shirt.The foul left French official Willy Delajod with no choice but to send him off for a last-man foul.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLIt made Dragusin the first player ever to be sent off on their Europa League debut for Tottenham.Youngster Lucas Bergvall was sacrificed in favour of Destiny Udogie by manager Ange Postecoglou as part of a tactical switch in putting Ben Davies to centre-back to ensure Spurs kept a steady defence.But a moment later, the North London side showed their fangs by pouncing on some sloppy play by Qarabag.Dominic Solanke stole the ball high up the pitch before slipping in Brennan Johnson to his right, who then side-footed a shot into the far left bottom corner to make it 1-0 to the home side.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSIt represented Johnson’s third goal in as many games. The match had been delayed by 35 minutes after Qarabag were caught in traffic on their way to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.Ange Postecoglou appears to promise Tottenham fans a trophy THIS SEASON in feisty interview after Arsenal loss, X Sky Sports PLBut it made no difference to Tottenham, who played out a 3-0 win with Pape Matar Sarr and Dominic Solanke getting on the scoresheet.New Europa League format explainedTHE Europa League has been given a revamp this season, with a whole new group-stage format.All 36 teams are in one big league.Each team will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.At the end of the league phase, the top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.The bottom 12 teams are eliminated from Europe entirely.Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.The knockout phase of the tournament remains the same as previous years. More

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    Tottenham’s Europa League clash with Qarabag DELAYED as fans face frantic rush to get to stadium amid travel chaos

    TOTTENHAM’S Europa League opener against Qarabag was severely delayed due to travel chaos.The Azerbaijani side were staying in Stratford but did not turn up to Spurs’ stadium until 7.45pm due to serious traffic.Spurs’ Europa League clash against Qarabag FK has been delayedCredit: PAThat was only 15 minutes before the planned kick-off – which was then pushed back to 8.35pm.Qarabag’s coach ended up having a police escort for the last mile of their 12-mile journey.While their late arrival could land them in hot water with Uefa, whose regulations state that both teams must be at the stadium at least 75 minutes before kick-off, as per article 54.01.But because this is their first offence this season, the club and their coach Gurban Gurbanov will likely only get a warning from European football’s governing body.READ MORE IN football Travel to Spurs was a nightmare due to a multitude of reasons.Part of the A10, the major road in the area, was closed, while for supporters coming from the south there were major delays on the M25.A person hit by train at Tottenham Hale train station meant many Greater Anglia trains were cancelled between there and Broxbourne.And there were severely limited trains coming in from the Hertfordshire direction.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSGurbanov’s reigning Azerbaijani champions were not the only ones to get caught out by the issues.TNT Sports pundits Peter Crouch and Glenn Hoddle abandoned their car and legged it down the street to make it in time for the start of their coverage.Ex-Spurs striker Crouch, 43, said: “Hopefully (the Qarabag team) ran down the High Road like me and Glenn! We gave up wit the car.”Tottenham legend Hoddle, 66, added: “Peter and I limped.”Qarabag are not the first to be caught out by the congested roads in N17.Spurs’ last European fixture – the last-16 Champions League tie against AC Milan in March 2022 – kicked off ten minutes later than planned due to both sides being held up in traffic.It made Spurs’ fans wait an extra 35 minutes for their first European game in 18 months, who named a strong line-up.Captain Son Heung-min, Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson all started up top, the latter two having netted in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Brentford.There were still six changes though, which saw 18-year-old pair Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall make their first European starts of their respective careers.Boss Ange Postecoglou, managing his first Spurs game in Europe, said: “It is going to be a great experience for our young players. It is different to domestic competition and they will learn a lot.”Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall have shown great energy. They want to make a career for themselves and my responsibility is to give them opportunity.READ MORE SUN STORIES”For a club like us, all these competitions are important. We have not had success for a very long time.“For a club our size, not winning becomes a millstone around your neck and you have to win something to release that.”SunSport’s Jordan Davies reacts to Europa League draw as Man Utd face Mourinho More

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    Harry Redknapp, 77, tipped for stunning return to football as Premier League cult hero says ‘the game needs him’

    HARRY REDKNAPP has been told “Football needs you back” – at 77.The former Tottenham, Portsmouth and West Ham chief was sacked from his last job, as Birmingham boss, in October 2017.Harry Redknapp has not managed for seven yearsCredit: GettyBut ex-Spurs and Pompey midfielder Pedro Mendes believes Redknapp offers “something different” from other managers.The former Southampton and QPR boss, who never got the England job he craved, has found fame away from the sport in the past seven years.Redknapp won I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here – sparking a string of TV appearances.But Mendes reckons the 2018 King of the Jungle deserves to come out of the wilderness and reign at another top club.READ MORE TOP STORIESThe former Portugal star told Gambling.com: “I think there should always be a place for a guy like Harry Redknapp in the game. “Everything around Harry is different. The way he trains, the way he speaks, the way his relationship is with the players.”Harry has been out of the game for a while now, and I think he should be back. “The game needs him, you know. He just brings something different.”Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSRedknapp mainly played for West Ham and Bournemouth in his 17-year career on the pitch.He then launched 34 years in management with long spells at both those teams.Van der Vaart reveals Redknapp’s three-word half-time team-talk that inspired Tottenham to Arsenal triumphRedknapp bossed the Cherries from 1983-1992, winning the Associate Members Cup.He then took charge of the Hammers until 2001, guiding them to Intertoto Cup success in 1991.But his main claim to silverware was at his next job.He took Portsmouth into the top flight as second-tier champions in 2003 and FA Cup glory followed five years later.That aside, Redknapp’s peak managerial achievement was notching successive finishes of fourth, fifth and fourth at Spurs from 2008-2012.Mendes said: “When Harry’s not upset, and he’s not looking for the players to run kilometres and build stamina, he just loves when a player does a trick and scores a fantastic goal, or does something different.”READ MORE SUN STORIESThe 45-year-old singled out ex-Portsmouth playmakers Niko Kranjcar and Andres) D’Alessandro as stylists who Redknapp got the best out of.Now Mendes reckons it’s time his old gaffer got a chance to help a new generation of exciting players reach their Pomp. More

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    Son Heung-min admits Tottenham team-mate Bentancur ‘almost cried’ in public apology to him as he faces SIX-MATCH BAN

    SON HEUNG-MIN maintains there is no problem between himself and team-mate Rodrigo Bentancur – only love.Midfielder Bentancur has been charged by the FA for his discriminatory comments about Son and faces a maximum punishment of a 12-game ban.Tottenham star Son Heung-min maintains there is no problem between himself and Rodrigo BentancurCredit: GettyTottenham ace Bentancur has been charged by the FA for discriminatory comments about SonCredit: GettyThe 27-year-old was asked by a presenter on Uruguayan TV in June for a Tottenham shirt and replied: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”He apologised to Son afterwards and is awaiting his fate, with the FA likely to recommend at least a six-match suspension to the regulatory commission that will hand down his sentence.Spurs skipper Son, 32, said: “At the moment, there’s a process from the FA, that’s why I can’t say much about it. But I love Rodrigo, I love him.“We have a lot of good memories, we started playing together when he joined.Read More on Football“He apologised straight afterwards when we [were on] holiday.“I was at home, I didn’t even realise what was going on. He just sent me a long message, and you could feel it was coming from his heart.“When we came back to the training ground for pre-season, he was really sorry and he almost cried.“He apologised in public and personally as well. It felt like he was really sorry. We’re all human, we make mistakes, we learn from it. I love Rodrigo, I love him, I love him.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS“He knows he made a mistake but I have no problem at all. We move on as a teammate, as a friend, as a brother. We move on together.”Both Bentancur and Son could start Thursday’s Europa League opener against Azerbaijani side Qarabag.Tottenham legend Gus Poyet explains why Ange Postecoglou can end trophy hoodoo and win Carabao Cup despite Coventry horror showLast season, Tottenham played just 41 games as they were not in Europe and crashed out of the cups early.But they face an extended schedule this year and Son joined Manchester City star Rodri in speaking out against the dangers of a fixture overload.The South Korean icon said: “We’re not robots. We have to look after that and reduce the games definitely – better quality definitely should be the aim.“It’s normal that everyone is at high risk of injury. It’s not fair. Rodri said the right things. We play 50, 60 games and not more than 70 games. It’s not fair.”Son is closing in on 10 years at Spurs but only feels he will earn “legend” status for the club if he wins a trophy.His current deal expires at the end of this season, though SunSport understands Spurs will trigger an option to extend his deal until the summer of 2026.Son discusses contractWhen asked about his contract situation, Son replied: “We haven’t talked [about] anything yet.“I’m just fully focused on this situation and this year. I just want to win something that everybody in this club and these players and all around deserves.“That’s what I’m working for. In the future, you never know what’s going to happen.“But I will make sure I give everything for this club. It’s almost ten years that I give everything.”Cristian Romero is suspended for Thursday’s match, while Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon are ineligible.READ MORE SUN STORIESIt will be Ange Postecoglou’s maiden European game as Spurs boss. The Aussie added: “For us as a group it will be the first time, the squad has changed a lot in the last 12 months.“I see it as a fantastic opportunity to evolve as a team in a footballing sense and hopefully gets us closer to our goal.” More

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    Tottenham star shows off gruesome black eye after injury following incident that went unpunished by referee

    TOTTENHAM WOMEN’S star Amanda Nilden has been left with a nasty black eye after their 4-0 win over Crystal Palace in the WSL.And the horror collision went completely unpunished by referee Amy Fearn.Spurs star Amanda Nilden was left with a horror black eye against PalaceAfter just eight minutes gone in the clash, Palace star Josie Green went for a high ball along with Nilden while leading with her elbow.The incident, prior to the ball getting to the pair, left the Swede laid out on the grass.But the ref allowed play to go on before realising the extent of the injury.Physios where on the pitch for three minutes, but Nilden managed to complete 87 minutes with her eye closing up.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSShe was subbed off for Charli Grant in the final three minutes.Nilden showcased her battle scars from the incident after the match.The defender posted a picture of herself with gruesome black eye and a blood-soaked plaster with a single white stitch.She wrote on Instagram: “Three points and a black eye. Great start to the season ❤❤❤❤.”Most read in FootballNilden was on the receiving end of brutal elbow from Josie GreenNilden’s eye was closing up throughout the encounterFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSTeam-mate Grant replied: “Still pretty” before Molly Barts wrote: “Warrior!”The Eagles, embarking on their first ever WSL campaign, definitely made an impact in the season opener.North Korea win Women’s U20 World Cup final against Japan after stunning victories over USA and Brazil Green joined Palace from Leicester this summer, while Nilden made her Spurs deal permanent after signing on loan last season.Former Real Madrid winger Hayley Raso opened the scoring for Spurs from the bench with a low drive across goal.Before Jess Naz, Drew Spence and Olga Ahtinen, with a rocket, made it a comprehensive win for the hosts.Spurs battered Palace at the Gaughan Group Stadium in their WSL opener More

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    Ex-Tottenham target suffers sickening leg break and is rushed to hospital for surgery as rival fans clap him off pitch

    GENOA star Ruslan Malinovskyi was rushed to hospital for an emergency operation after suffering a horror ankle break.Malinovskyi, 31, started for Alberto Gilardino’s side in the 2-0 loss to Venezia at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium.Malinovskyi broke his ankle in a match against VeneziaCredit: RexGenoa star Ruslan Malinovskyi suffered a horror injuryCredit: RexMalinovskyi’s injury left the entire stadium in a state of shockCredit: EPAAnd the playmaker went down with a shocking leg break in the 50th minute.The Ukraine international’s team-mates and the Venezia players were left in a state of shock while the Genoa physios rushed on to the pitch.The Genoa star received a warm applause from both sets of fans as he was stretchered off on Saturday.Malinovskyi was rushed to hospital as he dislocated the joint and fractured the fibula of his right ankle.Read More on FootballThankfully the operation went very well and the attacking midfielder shared a picture of himself giving the thumbs up from his hospital bed.Genoa tweeted on Sunday: “Player Ruslan Malinovskyi underwent surgery on his right ankle this morning. “The operation, performed by Prof. Federico Santolini and his team, was a complete success. “The player is doing well and will begin rehabilitation at the Club’s facilities in the coming days.”Most read in FootballMalinovskyi used to be a top target for Tottenham as former manager Antonio Conte was keen to sign him in 2022.Spurs were said to have made contact with Atalanta, when he used to play in Bergamo.Premier League managers’ salaries revealed Nottingham Forest and West Ham were also keeping tabs on the Ukrainian.However, a Premier League move never materialised and Malinovskyi instead went to Marseille on loan in 2023.The versatile midfielder’s move to L’OM became permanent a few months later but ultimately joined Genoa.The ex-Shakhtar Donetsk star has amassed a total of four goals and three assists in 36 appearances with the Serie A side.Malinovskyi received a warm ovation from both sets of fans as he was stretchered offCredit: EPA More

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    Harry Kane gets stuck into beer stein at Munich’s Oktoberfest as he’s joined by wife for festivities

    BEER we go, beer we go! England skipper Harry Kane partakes of a traditional stein at Munich’s Oktoberfest.Harry, 31, who stars for Bayern in the German city, donned a pair of leather lederhosen yesterday.Harry Kane got stuck into a beer stein at Oktoberfest with his wifeCredit: ReutersHarry donned a pair of leather lederhosen teamed with shin-high black socks, black leather boots and a grey jacketCredit: AFPHis wife Kate, also 31, joined in by wearing a traditional German dress.During the festival fortnight, seven million litres of beer will be consumed.Harry headed to the annual event for beer and bratwurst after he celebrated making his 100th cap for England earlier this month.He kept things cool by wearing a pair of sunglasses along with his shin-high black socks, black leather boots and a grey jacket.read more on harry kaneIt is not the first time that Harry has been spotted in lederhosen, the striker has been pictured with his Bayern Munich teammates in the traditional German pants before.He complained then they were a “little bit tight” and added that it was “something to get used to”.The England skipper made a £104million move to Bayern Munich from Tottenham in 2023 and he has since embraced the German culture – even learning the local lingo.Last year he missed out on the annual photo of the top of the league squad posing in traditional clobber because he was in the UK for the birth of his fourth child, Henry.Most read in FootballBut this year he and childhood sweetheart Kate appeared to be making the most of a beer in the sunshine.During the festival’s two and a half weeks, it is likely that more than seven million litres of beer will be consumed.’Are you seriously talking about that?’ – Jack Grealish told off by England interviewer after being asked about Kane More

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    Former Newcastle co-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi special guest at Tottenham vs Arsenal amid plans to buy stake in club

    MEHRDAD GHODOUSSI went to see Tottenham vs Arsenal last week as investment talks continue.Ghodoussi, the husband and business partner of Amanda Staveley, was a VIP guest  while a potential cash injection into Spurs was discussed in the background.Mehrdad Ghodoussi and Amanda Staveley were Toon co-ownersCredit: GettyGhodoussi was a guest at Spurs when Gabriel won the derby for ArsenalCredit: GettyStaveley has put a team together to buy a percentage of the club with Middle Eastern cash and other backers.The Yorkshire businesswoman and Ghodoussi were co-owners at Newcastle after taking a 10 per-cent stake in 2021.That was when they helped set up a £305million Saudi takeover of the Magpies.But they departed in July this year amid a shake-up at St James’ Park.READ MORE TOP STORIESStaveley said at the time: “I am devastated. It’s such a wonderful club, so it feels very bittersweet.”It has become part of my DNA, something you love so much and don’t want to let go. It’s very painful.”However, since then Staveley has been looking at a quick route back into the Premier League.Now it appears that opportunity is close to fruition, albeit with Ghodoussi far from a lucky charm as he saw the Gunners win 1-0 at fierce rivals Spurs.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSSunSport exclusively revealed last month that Staveley was stepping up her bid to buy into Tottenham.Staveley found the backing of “serious money” from the Middle East and wealthy individuals.Tottenham legend Gus Poyet explains why Ange Postecoglou can end trophy hoodoo and win Carabao Cup despite Coventry horror showIt’s understood Staveley would aim to purchase an initial stake in the club – then look to invest further.Tottenham’s majority shareholders ENIC are mainly owned by 87-year-old Joe Lewis’ family trust, with club chairman Daniel Levy also involved.It’s reckoned ENIC might be willing to consider selling some – possibly even a large part – of their 86.58 per cent stake in Spurs.Staveley and Ghodoussi are revving up their interest in SpursCredit: Rex More