Tottenham Hotspur secured their place in an all-English UEFA Europa League final with a commanding 2-0 victory over Bodo/Glimt, concluding the tie 5-1 on aggregate and putting an end to the Norwegians’ impressive campaign.
On a dreary, drizzly evening in Norway’s Arctic Circle, Spurs wasted no time in mounting their attack, with Richarlison’s shot being blocked just two minutes in.
At the other end, Ole Didrik Blomberg cleverly evaded defenders during a corner but was unable to find the net with his effort from a tight angle, which curled around the wrong side of the goal.
Shortly after the 15-minute mark, the visitors enjoyed a brief spell of pressure, initiated by a tantalising cross from Destiny Udogie, which forced goalkeeper Nikita Haikin into a parry as Brennan Johnson sought to capitalise.
The Russian keeper then successfully tipped a Pedro Porro free-kick destined for the top corner over the bar, as his team began to apply some pressure of their own with a free-kick opportunity.
Guglielmo Vicario managed to deflect Patrick Berg’s delivery to earn a corner, before Kasper Hogh glanced a header off target.
Following the interval, Kjetil Knutsen’s side continued to press, albeit in a disjointed manner, as Udogie cleared a dangerous cross from Fredrik Andre Bjorkan right in front of his own goal.
Dejan Kulusevski then had a shot that struck teammate Johnson, interrupting the Lilywhites’ search for a goal that would secure their place in the final.
Udogie was pivotal in defence yet again around the hour mark, clearing another threatening cross from almost beneath his own crossbar.
The significance of that clearance was evident just five minutes later, as Tottenham deflated the home crowd with a goal from Dominic Solanke.
The England international slotted home from close range after Cristian Romero rose highest to connect with a corner, sending the small travelling contingent into a frenzy.
Not long after, the visitors extended their lead thanks to Pedro Porro.
While he might claim it was intentional, it appeared to be a misdirected cross from the Spaniard on the right, which found its way into the net via the inside of the post as Haikin was caught off guard.
This crucial goal brought an end to the hosts’ six-match winning streak at home as Ange Postecoglou’s side confidently saw out the rest of the match, advancing to their sixth European final and leaving them just one game away from clinching silverware to salvage a challenging domestic season.
Catch up on the match here.
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