Disciplined Spurs get the job done to book Bilbao spot
Tottenham's Dominic Solanke celebrates after scoring against Bodø/Glimt at Aspmyra Stadium, Bodo. Pic: Stian Lysberg Solum/NTB via AP
It was not as dramatic as that night in Amsterdam exactly six years ago – nothing could be - but a Tottenham team in green did enough to fight their way into another European final.
In 2019, Lucas Moura scored a dramatic second-half hat-trick as Spurs came from 3-0 down to beat Ajax and reach the Champions League final.
Last night's victory was a more humdrum and straightforward affair, despite the predictions of Bodo Glimt's player and supporters that Ange Postecoglou's men would find the artificial turf and arctic conditions enough of a handicap to surrender their 3-1 lead from last week's first leg in London.
Other European heavyweights had perished here, including Porto, Olympiakos, Lazio and Postecoglou's Celtic two years ago.
But Tottenham were too professional to fail, giving a disciplined defensive performance for an hour before goals from Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro, seven minutes apart, gave them an unattainable lead of 5-1 on aggregate.
It means an all-English final against Manchester United in Bilbao on May 21, and having beaten the Reds three times already this season, Postecoglou may well deliver on his bold statement that he always wins a trophy in his second season.
Whether it will also be his last remains to be seen, with Tottenham's dreadful league form this season dividing opinion on whether he is the right man to take them forward.
But the Aussie has got his tactics spot on time and time again in Europe, and this was another fine night in Tottenham's great European traditions.
Long before the end, the 300 or so Tottenham fans were singing “Spurs are on their way to Bilbao.” It had been a poor first-half, with neither side capable of putting any meaningful moves together as the ball held up in the surface water brought about by driving run and the pitch having been heavily watered before kickoff.
Spurs were well-organised and were playing the handbrake applied, certainly in terms of their usual gung-ho attacking style. Dejan Kulusevski, taking over the playmaker mantle from the injurd James Maddison, is just back from a lengthy injury lay-off and although his touch is still superb, he did not have enough in his legs to leave his marker behind when there was a chance to run at goal. Solanke, by contrast, was full of running, harrying down defenders and chasing seemingly lost causes. When he was fouled 25 yards from goal, Porro stepped up to curl a strong towards the top corner of goal, prompting Russian keeper Nikita Haikin to make an excellent save, tipping the ball over the bar.
In the opposite goal, Guglielmo Vicario had a relatively quiet first 45 minutes, his only save of note to flip away a free-kick from Berg that looked to be missing the target. Ole Didrik Blomberg, who missed a decent chance in the first leg, again shot wastefully when he had a half-chance following a corner, hitting the side netting when he should have at least tested Vicario.
So at the break it was goalless, which suited Spurs, and having seen out the first 15 minutes of the second half, Solanke made the breakthrough. Mathys Tel, substitute for a tiring Richarlison, swung in a corner from the left, Cristian Romero powered in a header and Solanke applied the finishing touch from close range.
Tottenham's players and their small band of supporters celebrated raucously, and seven minutes later they were singing “Spurs are on their way to Bilbao” as Porro made it 2-0. The right-back received the ball wide and looked up to cross, but seeing no obvious target, and spotting Haikin off his line, curled in a perfect cross over the keeper's head and in off the inside of the far post.
The result was never in doubt, and Vicario was rarely troubled, as Postecoglou's men played out the final minutes in the same disciplined way as those that had gone before.
Now for the sixth all-English European final, and Tottenham will have featured in half of them. If they show the same discipline, who is to bet against them winning a fourth European trophy.
4-3-3 Haikin 5; Sjovold 6, Moe 5 (Nielsen 71), Gundersen 5, Bjorkan 6; Evjen 5, Berg 7, Saltnes 6; Blomberg 5 (Sorli 61), Hogh 5 (Helmersen 60), Hauge 5
4-3-3 Vicario 7; Porro 7, Romero 7, Van de Ven 7, Udogie 8; Kulusevski 7, Bentancur 8, Bissouma 7; Johnson 6 (Sarr 68), Solanke 8, Richarlison 7 (Tel 60).
: Maurizio Mariani (Italy) 8
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