Tottenham Hotspur made a triumphant return to European competition after a one-year absence with a convincing 3-0 victory over Qarabag in the revamped Europa League. Despite an early red card to defender Radu Dragusin in the 8th minute, the hosts quickly found their footing with Brennan Johnson opening the scoring just four minutes later, marking his third goal in three games. Pape Sarr extended Tottenham’s lead early in the second half from a corner kick, followed by Dominic Solanke sealing the win with a rebound goal in the 68th minute. Despite the setback, Spurs’ manager Ange Postecoglou commended his team’s resilience in playing aggressively even with ten men.

Roma faced disappointment as they settled for a 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao after conceding a late equalizer by Aitor Paredes in the 85th minute, offsetting Artem Dovbyk’s first-half goal. The Italian club has been navigating a tumultuous period that included the sacking of coach Daniele De Rossi. In a brighter moment, Roma secured a 3-0 victory against Udinese in Serie A under new coach Ivan Juri?.

Ajax displayed dominance in a 4-0 victory over Besiktas, with Mika Godts scoring twice and contributions from Kian Fitz-Jim and Kenneth Taylor. Meanwhile, Viktoria Plze? staged a remarkable comeback with two late goals to draw 3-3 against Eintracht Frankfurt, who had initially led 3-1. Olympiacos, the defending Conference League champion, started their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Lyon in France.

Fenerbahce kicked off their Europa League journey with a 2-1 home win over Union Saint-Gilloise, aided by goals from defender Ça?lar Söyüncü and an own goal by Christian Burgess. The match saw both teams finishing with ten players on the field. In another fixture, Rangers secured a 2-0 victory against Malmö, with Nedim Bajrami finding the net in the opening minute and Ross McCausland adding another goal in the second half.

The Europa League has introduced a new format, with all 36 teams competing in a single standings league phase instead of the traditional group stage. Each team will play eight games against eight different opponents until January 30th. Europa League action continues as teams look to make their mark in this revamped competition.