Tottenham 3-1 Bodo/Glimt: Spurs take giant step towards first European trophy in 41 years – but late goal gives visitors hope for return leg

There was a golden hour or so when all the doubts and fears melted away as if Ange Postecoglou had retrieved Tottenham’s finest form from the deep freeze.

One up inside 38 seconds through Brennan Johnson with a second before half time scored by James Maddison and a penalty converted by Dominic Solanke to make it 3-0.

Postecoglou’s team were sizzling with intent as if there might be more. They were slick on the ball and snapping into tackles and the fans responded by turning up the volume and serenading them about a final in Bilbao.

Spurs dominated albeit against a depleted team in a major European semi-final for the first time and seemingly close to the end of their extraordinary journey.

Then came familiar problems to temper the jubilation.

First, injuries to Maddison and Solanke, who hobbled off to the bench, where Lucas Bergvall had watched the entire game with a protective boot on the ankle he damaged during training on the eve of this game.

Then came the goal scored by Bodo/Glimt with their first shot on target, which beat Guglielmo Vicario with the help of a deflection in the 83rd minute and sparked an anxious closing period.

Songs of celebration faded into the night and the fears and doubts resurfaced as thoughts turned to next week’s second leg on the notorious plastic pitch of the Aspmyra Stadium.

It is a venue where the Norwegian champions have won nine of 10 European games this season. They have toppled such illustrious names as Porto and Red Star. They beat Lazio there by two goals in the quarter final and Olympiakos by three in the last 16.

Bodo are dangerous on home Astroturf and the Londoners will venture into the Arctic Circle with caution, but they are in control.

Postecoglou would have signed up for a two-goal lead at the halfway stage, and he tried to spread a little of that belief as he attempts to extend his record of always winning a trophy in his second season at all the clubs he has managed.

‘It’s on artificial grass but still a game of football,’ said the Spurs boss. ‘I don’t think the scoreline reflects our dominance but we have to accept that. We’re in a good position and we need to replicate that performance.

‘Irrespective of the surface if we’re as organised and disciplined as we were today, it will be difficult to stop us. Bodo away is a difficult fixture, I’ve been there with Celtic. But so was Frankfurt and we went there knowing had to win.

‘In Europe, we’ve been good at managing any situation we’ve been in and all those experiences have given us belief we can go there and get the job done.’

Postecoglou sprang a surprise with his selection. Having lost Bergvall, he called Yves Bissouma into midfield, Richarlison started up front on the left ahead of Mathys Tel and Johnson on the right ahead of Dejan Kulusevski. All of which looked like an inspired selection when Johnson struck inside a minute.

Bissouma was involved, chasing a loose ball to maintain the early pressure and winning a duel with Ole Didrik Blomberg. So was Richarlison. It was his cross from the left recycled by Bissouma. Then the Brazilian towered high at the back post to reach the cross from Pedro Porro and head it square across goal.

Johnson came racing into the penalty area unmarked to force a header past goalkeeper Nikita Haikin. After a split-second pause to check whether the Spanish referee had not awarded a foul against Bissouma, the noise exploded from all sides of the ground.

Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium rarely generates a hostile environment, and artificial pre match anthems and tifo displays can seem forced, but the Spurs fans all came in white in the spring sunshine and whipped up a terrific atmosphere as kick off approached.

Then the players delivered with a quickfire goal and followed it with more attacking intent, winning corners and forcing the Norwegians back. Maddison, Micky van de Ven and Udogie all missed the target with chances.

Bodo/Glimt were depleted, without five of their first team, three suspended and two injured. They only named six outfield players on the bench. Those on the pitch called an emergency huddle to regroup after conceding.

Richarlison was the chief threat on the Spurs left, with Maddison picking him out with passes and Destiny Udogie charging past on the overlap.

Inevitably, tempo faded and there were reminders for Tottenham they were in a semi-final, before they broke out of defence for the second.

Bentancur worked hard to protect possession under pressure in his own half and moved the ball via Van de Ven and ‘keeper Vicario to Porro, who picked out Maddison’s forward run from midfield.

His first touch with the outside of his right foot was excellent, giving him a shooting angle and his finish was a little scuffed, which worked his favour, dragging the ball past Haikin’s desperate dive and the defenders scrambling back.

Haikin made a flying save to deny Bentancur a third before Tottenham’s Uruguayan midfielder was caught on his heels in his own box when Blomberg flashed a volley over Vicario’s goal just before the interval.

The visitors were more solid in the second half. The penalty was one of those soft ones, a classic of the VAR era, where Cristian Romero stole in to beat Fredrik Sjovold to a high ball.

Sjovold had been trying to boot the ball clear but ended up kicking Romero on the calf and a penalty was awarded after a VAR intervention. Solanke, who scored the winner from the spot in Frankfurt, stepped up in front of the South Stand, and rolled it into the bottom corner.

They could have done without the injury scares. Postecoglou said he hoped were not serious, describing Maddison as feeling a ‘tweak in a knee’ and Solanke’s as ‘something similar’ in a quad muscle. Bergvall, he said, would be a case of wait and see. Heung-min Son is also out.

Bodo/Glimt boss Kjetil Knutsen was encouraged by the late goal scored by Ulrik Saltnes, with the help of a deflection off Bentancur.

‘Really important,’ said Knutsen. ‘We can take energy from this into the next game. It’s totally different at home in the Aspmyra. We still have an opportunity. We are not the favourites but we will fight for it.’