Lucas Verbal (18, Tottenham) breathes a sigh of relief.
Tottenham Hotspur defeated Qarabag 3-0 in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) League Phase of the 2024-2025 season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on Sunday (June 27).
The victory, their first in European competition this season, allowed Spurs to head into the second leg in good spirits.
Tottenham lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. Son Heung-min, Dominic Solanke, and Brennan Johnson led the attack, with Pape Sarr, Yves Bissouma, and Lucas Verbal in midfield. Ben Davies, Micky van der Vaan, Radu Dragucin, and Archie Gray formed the back four, with Guglielmo Vicario in goal.
Tottenham were in trouble early on. Seven minutes into the game, Dragucin lost the ball under pressure as he received a backpass and was sent off for a foul in an attempt to stop Júnior.
Tottenham did not go down easily.
They took the lead through Johnson in the 12th minute of the first half and sealed the win seven minutes into the second half with a goal from Saar. A penalty miss by Karabakh added to the lead. Solanke sealed the 3-0 victory in the 23rd minute, finishing off a rebound after Son Heung-min’s shot hit the post.
For Verbal, it was a game to sigh heavily. 메이저사이트 The 2006-born midfielder joined Tottenham this summer and has been a promising addition to the squad during the preseason, but has mostly been a substitute.
On this day, he was given his first start in a long time, but it was a disappointing one as he was substituted early following Dragusin’s sending off. As he made his way to the bench with his head down, Verbal looked somber as he pulled on his hoodie. Fans also expressed their sympathy for his situation, saying “Poor Verbal”.
The British Express wrote: “Verbal was disappointed and devastated. Berivald, who had to be substituted for Dragucin’s lack of concentration, found it difficult to contain his emotions as he was seen sitting on the bench with his hood and jacket zipped up.”
Tottenham fan community Spurs Web also commented: “Verbal was a scapegoat. He was given a chance to start and make an impact, but he was subbed off after 10 minutes for Dragusin’s sending off,” and added a message of sympathy, saying, ”There will be more chances for him in the future.”
The local London publication Football London rated the players.
Verbal was given a score of 5. It’s a low score, but the publication says: “It was a harsh game for a young player. He looked very disappointed. A victim of substitutions.”
“He was understandably frustrated to be substituted so early in his first home start and looked dejected on the bench afterward,” said another outlet, 90min.
Speaking to TNT Sport after the game, Postecoglou offered words of encouragement to Verbal. “These things happen in soccer,” he said. “It was a decision we had to make,” he said, ”He’s still 18 years old and he’s going to play a lot more games. “It was a decision we had to make, we needed an extra defense, so we put Udogie on.
“There was nothing wrong with him, and he’s going to get a lot of chances in the future,” the coach continued. “We started the game sloppy. We didn’t have the tempo and intensity that we wanted,” he said, adding that he was disappointed with the performance.