“Devastated” – Tottenham star disappointed after what happened to him v Qarabag

Tottenham Hotspur faced Azerbaijan champions Qarabag FK in their Europa League opener, hoping to make a statement with a win.

The match started late after Qarabag failed to arrive on time due to major traffic. When it began, Tottenham found themselves a man down in the seventh minute, with Radu Dragusin receiving a straight red card for stopping a clear-cut chance for Qarabag to score.

Manager Ange Postecoglou had to reshape his starting XI, and youngster Lucas Bergvall came off for Destiny Udogie.

The 18-year-old was reportedly distraught upon coming off and was seen sulking on the bench. “You could see that he was devastated to be substituted in the 12th minute,” said Nizaar Kinsella of the BBC.

“The camera has just panned to the exciting Swedish midfielder who joined from Djurgardens in the summer and he had his hood up and coat zipped up to his mouth, his eyes told the story of his disappointment but there will be many more chances to come.”

This was the perfect opportunity for Bergvall to stake a claim for a starting berth, but Dragusin’s mistake has cost him dearly.

This was only Bergvall’s second start of the season. He started a game in the EFL Cup and made promising cameo appearances in the Premier League.

Whether due to lacking match sharpness or simply a loss in concentration, Dragusin was caught on the ball and brought down Qarabag star Juninho, who was bearing down on goal.

Dragusin was starting in place of Argentine central defender Cristian Romero, who missed the game through a suspension for a red card he got in the Champions League 18 months ago against AC Milan.

Postecoglou turned to Dragusin, who had given a decent account of himself in the Premier League and EFL Cup. But it backfired with the Romanian leaving Spurs short-manned early on.

Udogie was meant to get some well-deserved rest but had to kit up and help shore the defence.

Despite the man advantage, Tottenham took the lead through Brennan Johnson. Dominic Solanke set up the Welshman to score for a third straight game following his winners against Coventry City and Brentford. Pape Matar Sarr made it two and Qarabag missed a penalty.

Bergvall must pick himself up and start looking forward to another opportunity to prove his mettle, of which there will be many this season, with the club competing on multiple fronts.