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Who are you and what have you done with Ange Postecoglou? There was a messy goal from a set piece, a plan with pragmatism at its core and a team able to find beauty in the kind of robust performance that has so often seemed alien to Postecoglou’s entire footballing vision.
All the cool came from Tottenham Hotspur in the Arctic Circle. Their touch was sure on the infamous plastic pitch at the Aspmyra Stadion and they did not mind turning this Europa League semi-final against Bodø/Glimt into a grind. Serious rather than spectacular, they were never under threat of failing to seal their place in the final against Manchester United.
Goals from Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro were enough for Spurs to win 2-0 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate. Through to their first European final since 2019, silverware is within reach for the first time in 17 years. This has been such a challenging season for Postecoglou but vindication could yet arrive for the Spurs manager.
The sprinklers were on long before kick-off, drenching a surface already designed to play quickly. Warming up in incessant rain, Spurs knew they had to have their wits about them. This is a place designed to trip up unsuspecting visitors and the vibe among the locals was remarkably optimistic.
They had already seen Porto, Besiktas, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Twente, Olympiakos and Lazio leave this quirky little ground empty-handed this season and the argument that Spurs had not built up enough of a first-leg lead began to feel more compelling as the atmosphere in the stands grew ever more hostile. So much so it seemed that Bodø/Glimt’s 8,200 fans hardly needed the jolt of a pre-match fireworks show to get them on their feet.
This remote, windswept Arctic outpost had never experienced anything quite this momentous before. Buoyed up by the return of the influential duo of Patrick Berg and Håkon Evjen from suspension in midfield, Bodø/Glimt believed a 3-1 deficit would be wiped out. They were sure that reality was not going to intrude on the fairytale.
If anything, though, the hosts were too eager during the early stages. Spurs were quicker to settle, with Richarlison causing problems for Fredrik Sjøvold on the left, and were closing to pulling clear when Pedro Porro lined up a free-kick in the ninth minute. It took a fine save from Nikita Haikin to prevent the right-back’s effort from finding the top corner.
Postecoglou must have been delighted with his side’s start. It was a year to the day since Spurs pulled off their miraculous comeback against Ajax in the semi-finals of the Champions League but this seemed more sedate. Richarlison continued to threaten, Dominic Solanke’s hold-up play was impressive and there was an escape for the hosts when Destiny Udogie failed to find anyone after sneaking through on the left.
Calm and professional, Spurs were using the ball well, even with injuries stripping their midfield of the poise offered by James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall. Dejan Kulusevski, Maddison’s replacement, was proving effective in disrupting Bodø/Glimt’s attempts to play out from the back. Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur mopped up in front of the back four. The only misstep from Spurs came when Brennan Johnson picked up a booking for a clumsy challenge.
Bodø/Glimt struggled to build up a head of steam. Ole Didrik Blomberg fired into the side netting and Berg forced Guglielmo Vicario to tip a free-kick over but in truth there was not much to worry Spurs before half-time.
The curious thing is that Postecoglou has not hesitated to dispense with his idealistic approach in Europe. Spurs have not been afraid to sit deep and be more direct against continental opposition, particularly on their travels. Ruggedness was a prominent feature of their quarter-final win against Eintracht Frankfurt and they were set up to do a similar job on Bodø/Glimt. It was not long before Maurizio Mariani, the Italian referee, was warning Vicario about timewasting before a goal-kick.
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Bodø/Glimt tried to play with more urgency at the start of the second half. There was encouragement when Jens Petter Hauge flashed a low delivery across the face of goal. Udogie then had to be strong when Fredrik André Bjørkan tried to find Kasper Høgh with a cross towards the far post in the 59th minute.
Spurs were unperturbed. They focused on compressing the space and they were heading for Bilbao when they went ahead with a scrappy goal in the 64th minute. Mathys Tel, who had just replaced Richarlison, delivered a corner from the left, Cristian Romero won the first header and Solanke was free to bundle the ball in from close range.
Reality intruded on Bodø/Glimt’s fairytale, their challenge fading when Porro’s mis-hit cross drifted over and inside his far post. Postecoglou can still make good on his promise about always winning a trophy in his second season.
