Tottenham Hotspur was in a moving distance from the Europa League final after a record victory against Board/Grimt in the first leg of the semifinals.
It took Brennan Johnson just 30 seconds to lead the home side in front, and in the 34th minute a quality James Madison finish doubled the lead. On the 61st, Dominique Solanke scored the third goal from the penalty spot, and Ulrik Saltness restored a small hope for Norway on the 83rd.
team
The prominent names were missing from the list of players from Anjipost Koglu, the Spurs boss that could be used for this collision.
Guglielmo Vicario was in the finish line. Both of whom have taken a break from the Liverpool title-winning game on Sunday, Christian Romero and Mickey Van de Ben are back at the centre of defense while keeping right-back Pedro Polo as well as right-back Destiny Udogui on the team. With no Bergval, Yves Bizuma was joined by Rodrigo Bentakur in the middle of the park, and James Madison played the more advanced No. 10 role. In the attack, striker Dominique Solanke was adjacent to Richard Lison and Brennan Johnson.
As for Bodo/Glimt, director Kjetil Knutsen was unable to call Woon’s midfielder Daniel Bassi, as well as Woon’s midfielder Daniel Bassi, before midfielder Patrick Berg and Hakon Evjen’s suspended trio, and Andreas Helmersen.
Nikita Heikin stood between the posts, with center-back villains Nielsen and Jostain Gandersen adjacent to Fredrik Bjorkan on the left and Fredrik Schobord on the right. Jens Hauge stuck the midfield, with Ulrik Saltnes and Sondre Fet taking part in that section. On the offense, striker Kasper Hog had Ole Didrik Bromberg on the left and Isaac Divvik Matta on the right.
Match Summary
It was clearly the start of the Spurs’ dream as Richarson leads a polo cross across from the back post and the unmarked Johnson nods past the hikin from close range just 37 seconds later.
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The early goals blew winds into the sails on the home side, and five minutes later Madison quickly approached, but when he latched into a long pass from Romero, he couldn’t properly control his first volley and floated above the bar. But that was a sign of what was to come.
After Richarrison wasted a good opportunity by shooting Hikin straight from his advantage, Van de Ben gained the ball in his own half and used Vicario to switch the sides of the polo to smash his trademark long ball behind Bodeau’s defense.
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Postecoglou’s men could have quickly added a third, but Bentancur’s powerful volleys from the edge of the box encouraged a good save from the Bodeau’s keeper. Visitors, meanwhile, weren’t created much in the first half, and their first real chance was already expired in 45 minutes as Matta beat Udogie at pace to deliver the ball to the edge of six yards, from which Hog fired just above the bar.
Determined to kill the tie completely as soon as possible, the Spurs continued their attack after the reboot, and they were rewarded for their efforts on the 58-minute stroke when Romero reached the ball in front of Schobold and received a kick in the back of his ankle. Judgment Jose Maria Sanchez initially missed it, but Val intervened and sent him to look at the screen on the pitch side. Watching the footage, he changed his decision and pointed to the scene, and Solanke made no mistakes from there.
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Penalty-winning centre-back Romero got very close to scoring himself as the header drifted the width of the post a few minutes later. With 12 minutes of 90 minutes remaining, Udogie broke through the left visitor’s line, went into a six-yard box, and forced his shot into the palm of his hand from a tight angle to the hikin. The alternative Mathys Tel also scored almost, seeing his shot after the corner-induced scramble deflected very heavily.
However, the Spurs fell into the final ten minutes and were punished quickly. Saltness found that way to reduce the host’s lead as deflection from Van de Van Denzi took his close range shot from Van de Van Denzi’s reach. It was Bodo’s only shot on target.
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Still, another alternative, Dejan Kulusevski, was fired on a turn of about 10 yards, in a turn, and only seconds before the judge blew the last whi, causing the final chance of the game to fall again to the Spurs.
A faint light of hope for Bodo
Saltness’s goal certainly made things a little more interesting before Norway’s second round, but it remains to be seen whether Bodeau will be able to gather the reactions he needs to turn his tie next week. Based on what they showed in North London, it is hard to believe they would do so. Their best hope may lie in their small, artificial pitch, which teams from England may find difficult to adapt.
As it is, there is no doubt that Bodeau did a great job at reaching the semi-finals of European competition, and even if they fail at this stage, they are already willing to give their supporters a lot.
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What’s interesting about the Knutsen men is that the scoreline for this first leg belays the quality of the team to the point. In most matches they looked like well-assembled units, and each player made the most of his abilities and stuck to his task. However, the individual quality of the players proves to be largely desired against the Premier League opposition. When the team organization failed, there were not enough people to fix the rank situation.
Still, Bodeau/Grimt should be proud of the 2024/25 European exploit.
Will the success of the Europa League save Postecoglou’s work?
It is probably the most controversial topic in the aftermath of this match. The Spurs were sitting 16th at the Premier League table, standing between the terrible achievements of the three lower sides and the outlook for a fight to avoid relegation.
However, there are differences in lineups and team performances that lost 5-1 to Liverpool a few days ago, and this victory clearly shows that at this stage of the season, Europe is completely prioritized over domestic leagues. Manchester United also has a greater advantage over Athletic Bilbao in the other semi-finals, with the clashes appearing on the card while being a Premier League under-ackey in the Europa League final. Both sides represent their only chance to compete in Europe next season.
But is it enough for Post-Coglu to be given the chance to get things right at Tottenham?
Honestly, it seems too late, but it’s not easy to imagine an Australian tactician staying at his job after the summer.
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