Bodo/Glimt 0-2 Spurs (agg 1-5) | Ange’s verdict
Thu 08 May 2025, 23:20|
Tottenham Hotspur
Ange Postecoglou spoke about his ‘joy and pride’ particularly in the way the players executed the game plan to beat Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night to reach the UEFA Europa League Final, where we’ll face Manchester United in Bilbao on 21 May.
Leading 3-1 from the first leg of the semi-final, it was somewhat of step into the unknown at Bodo, playing against a team renowned for their form on an artificial surface at the Aspmyra Stadion – a team that beat Lazio 2-0 at home in the quarter-finals in April.
But this was a performance that oozed control and discipline, with the players determined not to let the chance of reaching a major European final slip through the fingers. Our press certainly disrupted Bodo’s tactic of playing out from the back, and we simply wouldn’t let them settle, winning possession time after time.
So, where Bodo had 18 efforts at goal against Lazio, we restricted them to seven. Indeed, we edged that count 8-7. It just needed the icing on the cake, and that arrived on 63 minutes, when the outstanding Dominic Solanke was on the spot to turn home Cristian Romero’s header from Mathys Tel’s corner. That made it 4-1 on aggregate and five minutes later it was 2-0 on the night and 5-1 overall as Pedro Porro’s cross drifted over Nikita Haikin and home.
Ange on how it feels to reach the final…
“Look, firstly it’s pride in the efforts of the players and the staff. I thought the lads were outstanding tonight, well prepared, disciplined, organised, as you need to be, because it’s a difficult place to come to, we knew that, they have a great home record, but the way the guys handled it all was outstanding, so, great pride and joy as well, because we know what it does for our supporters. There were a few hundred here tonight, they won’t forget it, and thousands back home that we’ve now given them some hope, something to dream about, and we’ll now look forward to the next couple of weeks and preparing for a big game.”
Ange on how we got it right tactically, especially in our press…
“I think the key to playing them here… you know they like to get into a bit of a rhythm, they like to play quickly, they are obviously used to this surface and try to take advantage of any uncertainty from the opposition. Our press is as good as anyone’s and today, we had to be really aggressive with that. The boys were really disciplined and, at times, even if we weren’t winning the ball, we were disrupting their rhythm, we didn't really allow them into our half with any sort of clear possession, so, credit to the lads, they were well prepared for it, but they executed it perfectly.”
Ange on what pleased him most from the performance…
“The maturity of the lads to handle it. I thought we were really good in the first leg and probably should have had a more comfortable lead, and the way the club is always perceived, there’s a nervousness around the club, then you realise their home record, the surface, all these things which are legitimate challenges. I just loved the way the boys just stayed calm throughout, never fazed by anything, knew what they had to do and got the job done.”
Ange on facing United in the final…
“Yes, it's exciting. It's brilliant. We know, irrespective of which club you’re at, you don’t get these opportunities too often, so you want to make the most of them. We’ve a couple of weeks to prepare for it, it should be a great game and obviously it gives our supporters some hope now that we can do something special this year.”
