Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a comprehensive 3-1 win over Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final
Tottenham Hotspur have taken a step towards the UEFA Europa League final after running out 3-1 winners over Bodo/Glimt in their semi-final first leg.
Brennan Johnson, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke netted for Spurs, and it looked like they would carry a three-goal aggregate lead to Norway next week. However, Ange Postecoglou’s side had their advantage reduced as the visitors snatched a goal late on with their only shot on target on the night.
Conceding late would have been quite frustrating for the Lilywhites, who were otherwise excellent and dominant over the course of the 90 minutes. Brennan Johnson got the ball rolling for the hosts, scoring the quickest Europa League semi-final goal in history as he headed home with just 38 seconds on the clock.
Maddison doubled Tottenham’s lead in the 34th minute, clinically slotting home after expertly meeting a superb Pedro Porro delivery. Solanke then scored from the penalty spot on 61 minutes for a 3-0 advantage.
Speaking after the game, Johnson stated that he is pleased with the first-leg win over Bodo/Glimt, but was disappointed that his team conceded at the end.
“We’re pleased. If before the game you would have said that we’d have a two-goal cushion, then we’d have been happy with it,” Johnson told TNR Sports (h/t BBC Sport).
“They are a tough team. There is a reason why they have beaten other teams in the past. Disappointed to concede at the end but we are happy with the performance.”
Tottenham fans could barely imagine getting such a great start to the game when the Wales international scored a header. The winger also felt he could scarcely believe that he’d scored inside a minute, stressing that that early goal “set the tempo” of the game.
“I didn’t realise it was that early. They are a team that build in confidence with time to play so we knew that we had to be onto them straight away. Getting the early goal really set the tempo and I thought we started really well,” he added.
It was a comprehensive performance and win in the first leg for Ange Postecoglou’s side. The rare blemishes were conceding a late goal and injury concerns to Maddison and Solanke. The North Londoners would have loved to take a three-goal advantage to Bodo/Glimt next week, but things have barely gone the way they would have liked this season.
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While Spurs hold a two-goal lead, the tie is clearly not over yet. Ange’s boys have to travel to Norway and play on a plastic pitch, which is going to be tricky. We all know the transitioning from a normal pitch to a plastic turf is extremely difficult, as evidenced by the FA Cup outing against National League side Tamworth FC in the FA Cup at the start of the year.
So, Ange and his boys have to be humble and get the job done in Norway on May 8.