Solanke & Porro strike as Spurs seal all-English final

Tottenham will face Manchester United in the Europa League final as they cruised past Bodo/Glimt to stay in the hunt for a first European title in 41 years.

Ange Postecoglou's men navigated a tricky semi-final second leg in Norway to reach their sixth European final - and first since the 2019 Champions League final.

Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro struck in the second half to seal a 5-1 aggregate success and confirm an all-English showdown with United in Bilbao on 21 May.

Spurs' trophy drought stretches to a League Cup triumph in 2008, but further back to 1984 in Europe when they won the Uefa Cup.

Postecoglou's bold statement in September that he always wins silverware in his second season at a club had been met with mockery at times this term, with Tottenham 16th in the Premier League.

Yet they are now one game away from ending their barren spell to prove the Australian right, despite their abject domestic season.

They succeeded without the injured James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall and Heung-min Son in what was a historic game for the hosts, who had never reached a European semi-final before.

The 3-1 home first-leg win last week gave Spurs a cushion and they managed the return expertly, limiting energetic Bodo to few opportunities on the artificial pitch.

The hosts, who knocked out Lazio in the quarter-final and beat Porto at home, needed an early goal but it never came, with Guglielmo Vicario turning away Patrick Berg's free kick.

A textbook tight opening half gave way to a controlled second as fears Tottenham would freeze in the Arctic Circle proved unfounded.

Full-back Destiny Udogie thwarted Kasper Hogh, but Solanke put the tie further out of reach after 63 minutes when he poked in from close range from a Cristian Romero knockdown.

Six minutes later Porro's looping cross dropped in off the post to end any Bodo hopes, with the Norwegian side having an injury-time penalty overturned by the video assistant referee (VAR).

It never gets completely dark in Bodo at this time of year and the light has refused to go out on Tottenham's season.

Around 75 miles inside the Arctic Circle, Spurs remained ice cold to execute a professional performance and crush any pre-match expectations that Bodo/Glimt would make life difficult for them.

All the signs pointed to a tough night, with the hosts having lost just once in Europe at home this season and brushed aside Lazio 2-0 in the last eight.

Yet the nerves, the anxiety, drama, calamity and disappointment – everything which could be levelled at Postecoglou's side this season – never came. Even Bodo/Glimt's late penalty award was overturned after Porro was deemed to have won the ball.

Tottenham contained Bodo/Glimt well took total control once Solanke's perfect poacher's strike gave them a three-goal cushion.

The visitors took risk-taking out of the equation and, therefore, could reap the rewards in Bilbao against Ruben Amorim's men.

The buzz around the town was obvious. Flags were hung from windows, on boats, in the shopping centre and for miles around.

Pubs and restaurants had promised to stay open until the early hours if Bodo/Glimt won, in recognition of how historic the game was, both for the club, the city and country.

Yet it ended in disappointment as Bodo/Glimt - the first Norwegian side to reach a major men's European semi-final – just fell short.

They never tested Tottenham, not enough, but Kjetil Knutsen's side will surely only grow from the experience.

By their own recognition, a small club on the European stage but a force in Norway, having won four of the last five titles, there is a sense this will not be the last of Bodo/Glimt going deep in Europe.

Knutsen has created a culture where he does not prioritise results but performances and accountability, and that has helped lead them to this stage.

The head coach is sought after, with more than one delegation from interested clubs making the trip to Norway, and reaching the Champions League group stage is the next step on their journey.

Source: BBC Sport