Bodo/Glimt (Norway) (Away) 08.05.2025

Rain, seven degrees, fireworks (at 02.30 at the hotel and pre-match), fire plumes and a plastic pitch welcomed Spurs to the Arctic Circle.  Added to that the home club watered the pitch to add some speed to passes along the turf and to make longer passes run on, but, in the outcome, it affected their game more than ours, as a disciplined display eased through the second leg to convincingly reach the Bilbao final.

In the second minute, Bentancur swept a ball across to the right where Richarlison controlled it with his thigh and had his shot blocked, with Blomberg getting a ball across at the far post from a corner, but his shot was fired into the side-netting.  A quarter of an hour in, Porro spread the ball right to Richarlison, who slipped in Udogie outside him. Destiny’s ball into the box was just about defended and went through beyond the far post.

Deki looked less than 100% of his early season play, not able to find the speed to get onto an Udogie pass in the 20th minute, which was a bit of a worry, but he played  out the whole match, playing a vital role as an outlet to the defenders playing the ball out from the back.  Dominic Solanke’s chasing won the ball high up, leading to a  foul on him just outside the D in a central position.  Porro got it over the wall, but it was reasonably comfortable for Haikin to push it over the top with the shot being in the middle of the goal.  The corner went into the middle of the goal and it was fortunate for Bodo that a defender was there to smuggle it away.

Micky van de Ven was harshly penalised when Blomberg went down easy and then when Hogh pushed Micky as he went in for a header, he kicked the ball away and got booked.  Blomberg then fell into Udogie to win a free-kick on the right corner of the Spurs box, which Berg looked to find the far top corner, although Vicario was alive to it and pushed it over the bar.

Johnson was booked for a late challenge on Hauge which was fair enough, with another Bodo free-kick following straight away.  The ball was played around before a cross found Hogh in behind the Spurs defence, but it was too high for him to control his header that went high and wide.  A couple of tackle on the press didn’t quite go Tottenham’s way, but they won a corner on the left, but it was cleared at the near post and played back to Vicario.  His pass to Bissouma put him under pressure and Bodo won it in midfield, with Berg trying to beat the Spurs keeper from the halfway line, but it lacked height and was a comfortable save.  Porro broke up a move and his run took the ball three-quarters of the length of the pitch, but without a lot of support, the ball was cleared.

A nothing ball forward caused Haikin to try to be a bit too clever by dragging the ball back with his foot to then dive on it, but he slid off the pitch to give Spurs another corner.  Porro took it, Bentancur headed on and it came out to Bissouma on the edge of the box, although he slammed it too high as he wasn’t set to control his effort that was the last of the half as the whistle went straight after it.

The second half started as the cloud dropped on the Aspyrma stadium, with Spurs winning an early corner that went too long for anyone after Spurs won a header in the middle. A dangerous ball into the Spurs box five minutes into the half was well defended by Tottenham as it was difficult for Vicario to come for it with it bending towards the far post.  Udogie’s back-heel cleared the danger just at the right time.  The pitch might have been artificial, but the creases in it were real and I find it hard that UEFA allow it to be played on.  They were especially noticeable when Pedro took corners on the right side. Kulusevski took advantage of a loose pass by Bodo and slid Richarlison into the box, but he was dealt with by two yellow shirted defenders, then Micky won the ball back high up the pitch, but couldn’t control his cross that went behind.

Porro’s long ball picked out Richi, but he didn’t make the most of it, looking to play it inside, but straight against a Bodo player and they were away.  Putting in a deep cross, Destiny did brilliantly to knock the ball away from Hogh at the far post, but as it went across the Tottenham goal, Romero knocked the ball up for himself to volley the ball away.  It was the last thing their top scorer Hogh did as he was substituted as one of three and Richarlison went off to be replaced by Mathys Tel.

Bodo were guilty of what Spurs are accused of when playing out, as a throw-in went back and played back to the goalkeeper, but too firmly and he tried to keep it in with his feet, but conceded a corner. Romero climbed over two Bodo defenders to head the ball down in front of the goal and Dominic Solanke was in the right place to slide the ball past Haikin to give Tottenham the lead. It was a tremendous leap by Cristian and a neat finish by Dom from a yard out.

Vicario got a yellow card for time-wasting at a free-kick and Pape Matar Sarr entered the pitch in place of Brennan Johnson.  Pedro Porro channelled his inner Pape with a cross that went in off the far post.  It was a goal that almost made it one too far for Bodo, whose crowd were noisy but quite restricted in their song repertoire, as “When the Spurs” rang out.

Bodo had made a double sub, but Spurs were finding the ball easier and while the home team tried to pass the ball around, the addition of Sarr alongside Bentancur and Bissouma provided fresh energy.  When Hauge stamped deliberately on Romero’s right boot he didn’t get a booking as the referee failed to protect the players, while concentrating on time-wasting instead.

The home supporters were dreaming more of their toothbrushes which they wouldn’t be packing for a trip to Bilbao, but they always made a lot of noise when a Spurs player was fouled.  Tottenham’s press, which one of the Bodo players said was crappy in the first leg was producing too much for the Bodo players to deal with and consequently, the turnover of the ball was helping Spurs in this stage of the match.

A well-time sliding tackle in the Tottenham box took the ball out for a corner, but he got on the end of it to head the ball well away out of the area.  Sorli tried a shot from outside the box, but it was straight at Vic, who patted it down with the knowledge that it was safe to do so.  That was in the 88th minute.  Romero celebrated winning a goal-kick off a yellow shirt in the 90th minute like he had scored the winner in the final, which we all hope he does.  Yet another stamp on a foot, Tel’s this time, went unpunished and it made a mockery of the earlier bookings.

Sorli got on the end of a dinked ball through in added time and then went down like he had been shot, but it appeared that Porro had got a touch on the ball. Ref was called to the monitor after he worked out where it was, then, after a look, he waved the penalty away and that was it as Spurs went marching through to meet Man United with a clean sheet.

It was all they deserved and all the long-suffering fans who made the trip to Norway deserved too.  I know that it was only Bodo-Glimt, but they were being feted for their home record in pre-match coverage and I would say that this was one of the best European performances away from the THS in a long time. The work that Biss and Rodrigo did in midfield wasn’t flashy but was necessary and they were both totally focused on the task at hand. The rest of the team worked to match the Norwegians and coped with the vagaries of the pitch and the conditions of a match so far North with more technical passing and some very disciplined defending.

Bodo were ragged in their passing and provided little threat on the Spurs goal throughout the two legs, while Tottenham finished a good proportion of their big chances.  Much was made about the return of their players who were suspended for the first leg (mainly due to Bodo’s lack of understanding of the rules surrounding bookings and suspensions), but they failed to impact the game too much.  Top scorer Hugh was bigged up, but I can’t remember him causing Vic many anxious moments, while Berg looked OK, but didn’t hurt Spurs with his supposed incisive passing.  In fact, it might have been one of the most straightforward matches this season and the words from the manager about seeing disappointment in the Tottenham players’ eyes when Bodo scored at the THS and the comments from Sorli about our closing down were well and truly thrown back in their face.  I noted that the next day that some of the Bodo players had backed away from the pressing criticism and that Gundersen moaned about Romero telling him that they talk too much.  Such sensitivities must have caused their bland performance, which, over the two legs, produced only three shots on target.  You can only imagine that they thought that they had more opportunity to beat Lazio and Roma in the past, predominantly at their home ground, but there was nothing like that level against us tonight.

So, we face Premier League opposition in the final for the third time in European finals in Bilbao.  With a determined performance like this one, we might bring something back from Spain this time.

• Tottenham recorded a ninth win in the competition, the most they have won in a single European campaign.
• The Norwegian family attended the match.
• Spurs won through to their sixth European final and the third against English opposition.