Tottenham moved a step closer to the Europa League final, but the job is not quite done following a 3-1 win over Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of the semi-final tie.
Spurs needed just 37 seconds to take the lead against the competition’s surprise package, Brennan Johnson heading them in front.
James Maddison made it 2-0 as Bodo were undone by some route one football from Spurs 11 minutes before the interval.
The tie looked all but over when Dominic Solanke calmly converted a 61st-minute penalty, but a late goal Ulrik Saltnes gave Bodo hope heading into the return leg next week, having won six of their seven home games in the Europa League this season.
Tottenham v Bodo/Glimt
A shellshocked Bodo were left to huddle in an effort to regain their composure after Richarlison produced a tremendous header back across goal from Pedro Porro’s cross to to lay the ball on a plate for Johnson to nod home.
Tottenham struggled to break down Bodo thereafter, but they eventually did so in simplistic fashion, Maddison timing his run perfectly to meet Porro’s long ball and double the Spurs advantage with a superb first touch and a measured finish into the bottom-left corner.
Rodrigo Bentancur almost made it 3-0 with a fierce drive that Nikita Haikin did very well to keep out, butOle Didrik Blomberg did offer a reminder of the threat posed by the visitors when he fired over from close range shortly before the break.
But the first leg was put beyond Bodo when Fredrik Sjovold caught Cristian Romero on the calf while challenging for the ball in the air, giving Solanke the chance slide in Tottenham’s third with a nonchalant penalty.
However, the second half took a sour turn for Tottenham as Maddison and then Solanke were both forced off with injuries.
That killed the home side’s momentum, and Bodo took advantage in the closing minutes to give their hoardes of travelling fans something to cheer.
Bodo worked the ball cleverly into the box, and Saltnes, having scored twice in their stunning elimination of Lazio, created space for himself to engineer a shot that deflected off Rodrigo Bentancur and beyond a helpless Guglielmo Vicario.
Qarabag are the only team to win at Bodo in the Europa League this season and, having won each of their last four Europa League home games by at least two goals, it was no wonder the Norwegian side celebrated pulling one back so wildly. The tie is far from over.
