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Tottenham Hotspur have reached the Europa League final after defeating Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt 2-0 on Thursday, keeping alive hopes of ending a 17-year wait for silverware and easing pressure on under-fire manager Ange Postecoglou.
Holding a 3-1 advantage from the first leg, Spurs completed a 5-1 aggregate win with second-half goals from Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro in stormy conditions in northern Norway. The result sets up a final showdown with Manchester United in Bilbao on May 21.
Despite Tottenham’s poor Premier League form—which has left them languishing near the relegation zone—Postecoglou’s men are now one win away from Champions League qualification and their first trophy since the League Cup triumph in 2008.
The final will be a meeting of two underachieving giants this season. United cruised past Athletic Bilbao with a 7-1 aggregate semi-final win, but like Spurs, have endured a dismal domestic campaign.
Tottenham fans will be buoyed by their dominance over United this season, having already beaten them three times across various competitions. Victory in Bilbao would also mark Spurs’ first European success since their UEFA Cup triumph in 1984, breaking a run of four successive final defeats.
Postecoglou, who boldly predicted earlier this season that he wins trophies in his second year at every club, said he was proud of the team’s maturity and resilience in difficult conditions.
“We knew it was a hard place to come. The boys showed real composure,” he said. “We’ve grown this season, and we understand now what it takes to win.”
Despite the Europa League run, speculation continues over the Australian’s future at the club. Postecoglou has acknowledged that external expectations may see him sacked regardless of the outcome, due to the team’s poor league performance. With only three matches left, Spurs risk finishing in their lowest top-flight position since 1977.
Their Norwegian opponents, Bodo/Glimt, were the first club from their country to reach a major European semi-final, having shocked several bigger sides en route, including Lazio, Porto and Olympiakos.
But Spurs refused to become their latest victim, producing a disciplined performance in freezing rain and howling winds at the small Aspmyra Stadium, which seats just over 8,000.
In the first half, Tottenham soaked up pressure, with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario making key saves. Porro, who had a free-kick tipped over earlier, delivered the killer blow in the 69th minute with a dipping cross that evaded everyone and found the net.
That goal followed Solanke’s close-range finish after Cristian Romero’s header had been parried. It was a rare feel-good night for Tottenham in what has otherwise been a frustrating campaign.
