Tottenham star Radu Dragusin sets two unwanted European records following red card in Europa League clash vs Qarabag
Radu Dragusin was sent off just seven minutes into his Europa League debut for Tottenham. The Romanian defender was dispossessed by Qarabag forward Juninho while trying to regain possession just inside his half. Unable to match Juninho’s pace, Dragusin fouled him, resulting in a straight red card for a professional foul.
This marked Dragusin as the first player to receive a red card on his debut in a major European competition for Tottenham, and it was also the earliest red card in the club’s history from the start of a major European match.
Commenting on the incident during talkSPORT 2’s live coverage, Scott Minto stated, “It’s the right decision. Dragusin was too casual as the last man. Juninho was through on goal with no one else around.” He noted that it was a disastrous start for Spurs.
The match had already been delayed by 35 minutes due to severe travel disruptions near the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Dragusin was included in Ange Postecoglou’s starting lineup after Cristian Romero was suspended for a previous incident during a Champions League match against AC Milan 18 months ago.
Following Dragusin’s dismissal, Postecoglou substituted Lucas Bergvall for Destiny Udogie to strengthen the defense. Fortunately for Spurs, the red card didn’t heavily impact them, as Brennan Johnson scored just five minutes later, putting them ahead 1-0.
