Key events
65 min: That’s sucked a lot of the air from the Aspmyra, though the travelling Spurs fans are making one hell of a racket now. Bodø coach Kjetil Knutsen already with the thousand-yard stare.
GOAL! Bodø/Glimt 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Solakne 63); agg 1-4
Porro hits the corner long from the left. Romero wins a towering header at the far stick. The ball drops to Solanke, who stabs home from six yards! Solanke celebrates wildly, and Spurs edge ever closer to the final!
63 min: Haikin once more fails to deal with a backpass and it’s another gift of a corner. And from that …
62 min: Kulusevski tries to spin Moe down the left but can’t complete the turn.
61 min: Spurs respond by replacing Richarlison with Tel.
60 min: Bentancur slices a long-distance effort over the bar. That allows Bodo to make a double change, Høgh and Blomberg making way for Helmersen and Sørli.
58 min: Yes, is nearly the answer, as Bjorkan curls from the left and nearly finds Hogh, six yards out. Bissouma gets back and puts himself in the way, just in time.
57 min: Space for Richarlison down the left. He’s got options in the middle but takes an age to work out what to do, and eventually clatters the ball into the nearest defender. Very poor, again. Will Spurs regret this?
56 min: Moe’s ball out for the back is appalling, snaffled by Kulusevski, who has a simple ball on down the inside-left to release Richarlison into the box. But the pass is underhit, and Bodo swarm Richarlison. The move eventually fizzles out when Van de Ven shanks a left-wing cross deep into the stand behind the goal. On the touchline, Ange Postecoglou throws his arms wide in despair and irritation. A great chance to put this tie to bed carelessly squandered.
54 min: Nothing comes of the corner, but Spurs are now 60 seconds closer to their aim.
53 min: Solanke wins another corner down the left. Porro again to take. His delivery forces Hogh to head over his own bar for another. Porro trots over to the other flank to take the second corner. The fans again not happy about the time being taken over this.
51 min: Hague again down the left. His cross causes momentary confusion in the Spurs six-yard box, but Van de Ven and Udogie combine to flick away the danger with Berg and Hogh lurking.
50 min: Hauge has been one of Bodo’s livelier players this evening. He tries to one-two with Sjovold down the left. It nearly comes off, but Bentancur is wise to what’s unfolding and comes across to block and clear.
48 min: Darkness has finally fallen in Northern Norway. The crowd significantly quieter than they were during the early exchanges, too. Spurs doing a fine job up to this point.
47 min: Solanke’s turn to advance down the left. Upon entering the box, he’s not able to get a cross away, but winning a corner is second prize. Porro to take. Solanke competes for a header, but only manages to fall over. Bodo clear their lines.
46 min: A bit of space for Richarlison down the left. A bit, but not much. He slices his cross out for a goal kick. Haikin certainly doesn’t waste any time over the restart.
… but it’s a false start. Spurs kick off again.
Spurs get the second half started. No changes.
Half-time postbag. “If I managed a club, especially a rich one like Arsenal,” begins Zach Neeley, having read the half-time entertainment, “I’d have them make me a fake press room in between the real one and the locker room so I could go rant about the injustice! How good my guys played! Other emotion processing nonsense! So I’d be at peace by the time I said the things written down forever and heard by millions.”
You want to get yourself down to the patent office quicksmart, Zach, for this is a doozy. Nearly as good as my idea for soundproofed primal-scream-therapy pods to be placed around golf courses. I’ve not managed to get the paperwork sorted for that yet either.
In the other semi-final, Athletic Bilbao have taken a 1-0 lead into half-time at Old Trafford. They’re still two goals shy of embarrassing their hosts, though, and as things stand, it’s going to be Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United at San Mamés in two weeks’ time.
Half-time entertainment. Aka: North London Schadenfreude Corner.
HALF TIME: Bodø/Glimt 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur (agg 1-3)
Bodø keeper Haikin has had one save to make; his opposite number Vicario the same. Spurs will take this. Same again, and they’ll be heading to Bilbao!
45 min +1: Well, nearly. Porro’s delivery from the right is only half cleared. The ball drops to Bissouma, who slides high and wide in the wild manner. Half a chance.
45 min: Haikin makes a meal of a simple backpass, failing to trap on the edge of his area, and instead turning and kicking the ball out for a corner. This is a huge gift. Can Spurs take advantage?
43 min: Porro latches onto a loose ball on the halfway line and romps off down the inside right. He’s the only Spurs man in attack, though. He does well to hold the ball up before crossing long for Richarlison, who can’t do anything from his position just inside the box. Spurs not committing too many folk to that counter attack. No gung-ho tactics tonight.
41 min: … and he fails to beat the first man. Bodo counter, but Spurs intercept. However Bissouma clanks a clearance straight to Berg in the centre circle. Berg spots Vicario miles off his line, and goes for goal, from just inside his own half. But he doesn’t catch it properly, much to Tottenham’s collective relief.
40 min: Richarlison busies himself down the left, his press causing some panic in the Bodo back line, leading to a corner. Porro to take.
39 min: Hauge pops up on the right this time, and tries to release Blomberg down the flank, only to hoick the ball straight out of play for a goal kick. Vicario takes his time over the restart again, and the referee performs the internationally-recognised mime for Once More And You’re In The Book Sonny Jim.
37 min: The hosts are getting on top, albeit slowly and not particularly dangerously. Hauge again makes good down the left but mishits his low cross, which Porro is able to clear. Spurs want to watch this, because the momentum is shifting.
35 min: A bit of space for Hauge out on the left. He slings a gorgeous outswinging cross into the Spurs box, Hogh finding space between the two centre backs. But he misjudges the flight, and spinning around in confusion, can’t keep his header down. Goal kick. That was a decent half-chance.
33 min: The hosts are beginning to put a few moves together, and seeing more of the ball. Johnson, frustrated as a result, is booked for a clumsy late slide on Hauge.
