Tottenham beats Bodö/Glimt and is close to the Europa League final
The London team opened up a 3-0 lead in the semi-final, but the Norwegians scored at the end
With authority
Tottenham prevailed in London on Thursday, opening the scoring after less than a minute of play and beating Bodö/Glimt 3-1 in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final. The result could have been even more comfortable, as the London team conceded a late goal and missed a few chances. Johnson, Maddison and Solanke scored for Tottenham. Saltnes pulled one back for the Norwegian team.
The return match
Next Thursday, at 4 pm (Brasília time), the teams will face each other again, on the synthetic turf of Aspmyra. Tottenham can lose by one goal and still advance to the final, scheduled for May 21, in Bilbao, Spain. The Norwegians need to win by three goals. If they win by two goals, they will force extra time.
The 90 minutes
In less than a minute, Tottenham took the lead with Johnson’s header. This was the key to a completely dominant first half for the London team. They imposed themselves, attacked the whole time and scored the second goal with Maddison. They could have extended their lead with a great shot from Bentancur, but the goalkeeper pulled off a miracle and saved it. The only dangerous chance for Bodö/Glimt came in the 44th minute, when Hauge shot over the goal. Brazilian starter Richarlison played well. He provided an option on the left and, with a header, provided a beautiful assist for the first goal. Another standout was right-back Pedro Porro, who crossed to Richarlison’s head for the first goal and provided a wonderful pass for Maddison to score.
Despite his good performance, Richarlison was substituted at half-time. Tottenham did not explain whether it was a tactical choice or an injury. The home side, however, continued to dominate the match and extended their lead with a penalty kick from Solanke. Towards the end, the Norwegians reduced the deficit with Saltnes, who shot, the ball deflected off Bentancur, rose and deceived goalkeeper Vicario.
The other semi-final
Manchester United came very close to qualifying for the Europa League final after beating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 away from home . The return leg will also be next Thursday at 4pm. Brazilian Casemiro scored a header.
