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Key occasions
Half-timely scorecheck:
Premier League
Nottingham Forest 0-1 Brentford (65 minutes performed)
Europa League
Athletic 0-3 Manchester United
Tottenham 2-0 Bodo/Glimt (clearly)
Convention League
Djurgarden 0-2 Chelsea
Actual Betis 1-0 Fiorentina
Half time: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Bodo/Glimt
45+2 minutes: Spurs have managed – sure, you learn that proper – a half of soccer, scored two objectives, and take a deserved lead into the break.
45+1 minutes: Bodo/Glimt have an opportunity! Maatta beats Udogie on the best and crosses, Blomberg’s diagonal run from the left to the close to publish coincides completely with the arrival of the ball, and he volleys over from about eight yards!
45+1 minutes: There’ll be about two minutes of stoppage time on the finish of the primary half.
44 minutes: Surprisingly the 2 groups have tried and accomplished a really comparable variety of passes. Spurs have performed nearly the entire harmful attacking, however they’ve been fairly direct about it. Not plenty of extraneous passing happening.
41 minutes: One other lengthy ball out of defence for Spurs. Solanke profoundly outpaces a lumbering Gundersen to succeed in it first, however the defender will get again to dam the shot.
39 minutes: Save! Bentancur chests down a clearance and slams a volley from the sting of the realm that was roaring into the web till Halkin turns it over the bar (I feel Udogie took the ball out of play within the build-up, so maybe it wouldn’t have counted).
38 minutes: Spurs have now had 10 photographs, three of them heading in the right direction (I’m unsure these Bissouma volleys ought to rely, thoughts). Bodo have had one shot, and it wasn’t heading in the right direction.
GOAL! Tottenham 2-0 Bodo/Glimt (Maddison, 34 minutes)
For the third time already Spurs play a excessive move from their very own line of defense – Porro this time – behind the Bodo defence. Maddison runs on to it, his first contact takes him extensive of purpose however forces Halkin to shuffle throughout, his positioning now unsure, to cowl him, after which he scuffs his shot, which bounces behind two protecting defenders and contained in the far publish!
34 minutes: Udogie wins the ball in Tottenham’s half, ignores a move ahead to Richarlison and turns again. There’s audible grumbling.
32 minutes: Richarlison runs into the realm, opens up his physique, and scuffs a feeble shot that rolls gently to Halkin.
31 minutes: Scott Murray has information of a purpose in Bilbao. Spoiler: Casemiro has scored it:
30 minutes: One other Spurs ball excessive of the Bodo defence, and Solanke does nicely to succeed in it, management it and play it again, however Udogie lashes his volley excessive, and nearly actually additionally extensive.
28 minutes: Jens Hauge goes down theatrically contained in the Spurs penalty space. Some Bodo gamers desire a penalty however Hauge, who’s conscious that no person truly touched him, just isn’t one in all them and the referee isn’t remotely .
25 minutes: Now Maddison takes a free-kick and once more Spurs win the header. Once more nothing comes of it, however they’ve been first to just about each ball into Bodo’s penalty space.
23 minutes: One other Spurs nook is headed on – there actually wasn’t any intent to this knock-on, it extra bounces off a head – to Bissouma, who profoundly mishits a volley.
21 minutes: Richarlison is performed down the left by a fantastic move, however he utterly fluffs his try to cross to Johnson, and the ball rolls to Halkin.
20 minutes: Bissouma wins the ball fairly cleanly, however Ulrik Saltnes goes down and the referee offers a free-kick.
18 minutes: There’s an interesting romance to this recreation, between a crew no person anticipated to be remotely ok to get right here and, nicely, one other one. However the draw back of that’s that neither crew seems significantly ok to be right here.
15 minutes: Spurs win one other nook. Porro sends it in, Richarlison flicks it on, Bissouma profoundly mishits a volley.
13 minutes: Spurs have possession within the Bodo half for some time, however the defence is nicely organised and so they can’t discover any gaps, so as an alternative they ultimately give the ball away.
10 minutes: Spurs win a nook, from which Van de Ven sends a header looping into contact.
8 minutes: Plus there was Bissouma’s contribution, utilizing his energy to ensure Spurs saved possession after Johnson’s preliminary header earlier than feeding it again to Porro, who crossed.
7 minutes: Likelihood! Romero lobs the ball over the whole Bodo crew and lands on the best boot of James Maddison, 15 yards out, however he lifts over the bar.
5 minutes: There haven’t been many events this season when Postecoglou’s decision-making has been emphatically and quickly proved appropriate, however the collection of Richarlison for this match is one in all them. It was his cross from the left that first put the ball into the penalty space, after which his headed help was simply good. A variety of gamers would have tried to seek out the web and simply given Halkin a straightforward catch.
2 minutes: Bodo/Glimt re-huddle after the purpose, goalkeeper Nikita Halkin main the chat there. Reset required.
GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Bodo/Glimt
Forty seconds on the clock, and Spurs lead! They cross from the left, however Johnson can’t management his header. It’s despatched again in from the best, Richarlison heads it again throughout purpose, and this time Johnson’s received a straightforward activity!
1 min: Peeeeeeep! The guests get the ball rolling.
Proper, preambles nearly performed. However earlier than kick-off, a interval of reflection for Pope Francis, not completely noticed.
“If any Spurs followers are pondering of heading to north Norway to pattern the ambiance for the second leg (I assume tickets are lengthy gone), I can verify that the (12-hour) prepare journey north from Bergen is totally beautiful, the spotlight of an interrail journey to the arctic circle final yr,” writes Stuart Jenkinson, because the referee orchestrates the pre-match coin toss. “Each different home/ house was sporting a Bodo/glimt flag, as was the native peak, however sadly no residence video games within the quick time we have been there.”
The gamers have joined them, and so they’re on their manner out! One finish of the bottom is displaying the Spurs membership motto by the use of holding up black and white plastic sheeting. Flags wave all over the place. One nook may be very, very yellow.
4 minutes to kick-off. The mascots are within the tunnel, ready for the gamers to hitch them.
Ange Postecoglou has a chat:
I simply assume the steadiness of our midfield and what we’re going through up towards. The fantastic thing about Lucas, he was the purchase who gave us good steadiness in there. Tonight Biss [Yves Bissouma] will give us what we want. I feel we should be aggressive tonight. Richie [Richarlison] has been working his manner again to health. I feel tonight his expertise, his means in and across the field, we need to put plenty of strain on them, and he may assist us fairly a bit.
We outwork each crew, that’s going to be vital tonight. After that it’s self-discipline and organisation to ensure our soccer will get us via. We all know it’s going to be a troublesome recreation, we’ve received to ensure we play our soccer.
“I dunno if anybody has talked about this, however throughout a beautiful prepare journey from Liverpool St this afternoon, in a carriage filled with jolly singing Bodø/Glimt followers, I requested one in all them the place their identify comes from,” writes Tom Paternoster-Howe. “Apparently ‘glimt’ means ‘glint’ in English. Looks as if a pleasant identify for a pleasant membership.”
They have been initially named merely Glimt, earlier than including Bodo to keep away from confusion. In line with the Cambridge Dictionary glimt can imply “glimpse”, as within the phrase “skimte så vidt”, “to catch a glimpse of one thing” or it could possibly imply “sparkle”, as within the phrase “være sjarmerende og humoristisk”, to have a sparkle in a single’s eye. They’re to all intents and functions known as Flash.
Right here’s Nick Ames’ report from Bodø on the “huge dream” coming true for the Norwegian aspect:
Nobody is certain exactly when the “espresso desk” custom started, however consensus traces it again about 60 years. It might take lots for one of many regulars to not present up. The time is nearly 11am and cups are being specified by the Aspmyra Stadion canteen for the Bodø/Glimt previous boys’ day by day catchup. In walks Ivar Bakke, who can rely himself because the group’s elder statesman at 94. “One of many oldest individuals in Norway!” he laughs earlier than sitting down. Tall tales are retold, recollections sharpened in delighting over previous and more moderen glories; nonetheless far these stretch, everybody right here is aware of what it has taken to carry their membership to the hardly fathomable territory of a Europa League semi-final.
The raconteur in chief is Jacob Klette, a pointy determine in his late 70s who made nearly 400 appearances for a crew that broke boundaries. “The northern a part of Norway has all the time needed to battle for its rights,” Klette says. “I performed for Lyn, the perfect crew in Oslo, within the late Sixties. You’d open the newspaper and see adverts: ‘We’ve an house for hire, however not for individuals from the north.’ You felt disgusted to see it.”
Klette and plenty of of his associates on the desk would flip conference and outright prejudice on their head. Golf equipment from all the way in which up right here, 75 miles contained in the Arctic circle, weren’t allowed to play within the Norwegian cup till 1963. They have been thought to be poor relations on and off the pitch.
Far more right here:
They actually appear to be a really cheerful bunch. Bonus factors for the crew carrying equally cheerful colors. Bodo/Glimt ought to be given a bonus purpose for engendering scenes like this.
Lucas Bergvall has twisted an ankle and is out of the sport. Richarlison and Dominic Solanke begin a recreation collectively for the primary time ever.
The groups!
Glenn Hoddle says he’s “excited” and thinks Spurs ought to “put the tie to mattress” this night. Have Spurs named the crew to do it? Let’s discover out!
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Bentancur, Bissouma, Maddison, Johnson, Solanke, Richarlison. Subs: Austin, Whiteman, Danso, Tel, Grey, Kulusevski, Spence, Odobert, Sarr, Davies, Moore.
Bodo/Glimt: Haikin, Sjovold, Gundersen, Nielsen, Bjorkan, Fet, Hauge, Saltnes, Maatta, Hogh, Blomberg. Subs: Lund, Brondbo, Auklend, Moe, Sorli, Bro Hansen, Kjaer, Bjortuft.
Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez (Spain).
Howdy world!
The miracle of Bodo/Glimt may turn out to be the story of the 2024-25 season in European competitors (nicely, that and a few 17-year-old in Spain). It’s only a marvelous, splendid factor, vibrant, luminous and warming as the town’s summer season solar (which from the final day of this month till 13 July received’t trouble setting in any respect; on the different finish of the dimensions on 20 December it is because of rise at 11.35am and set once more 49 minutes later. Admittedly calling it warming is perhaps going a bit far – temperatures usually dip into single digits most days even in excessive summer season).
The inhabitants of Bodo is round 55,000, and the Guardian has dispatched Nick Ames to the city (extra from him shortly), maybe to see if he can discover anybody but to be interviewed concerning the membership’s latest success. It’s probably transformative: Within the build-up to this recreation the Reuters information company spoke Troels Sandreid, who runs the airport in Bodo, to see what sort of affect it was having on customer numbers. “Bodo/Glimt‘s journey in Europe has undoubtedly helped enhance curiosity in Bodo, together with visitors to and from the airport,” he stated. “Avinor [the company that runs the airport] has seen a gradual rise in passenger numbers at Bodo Airport lately. Though it’s troublesome to isolate the trigger, it’s pure to think about that Bodo/Glimt‘s success is a contributing issue.”
Properly, that and the very fact it takes 17 hours to drive there from the closest huge metropolis, I think about.
That is what Bodo seems like. Frankly it seems magnificent, although I respect this was taken on an excellent day. I like that it has points of interest such because the Bodøsjøen Friluftsmuseum, whose identify suggests there’s such a extreme native scarcity of areas that generally three or 4 phrases are having to share every one.
Inevitably, provided that the city is residence to the Norsk Luftfartsmuseum (the nationwide museum of aviation), a former pilot had a big hand in Bodo/Glimt’s emergence. Right here’s the Related Press:
How did an unheralded Norwegian crew from a tiny city north of the Arctic Circle turn out to be one of many fairy-tale tales of European soccer?
For Bodø/Glimt, the transformation has been underpinned by a fighter pilot who developed psychological methods for his squadron earlier than bombing missions in Libya.
Bjørn Mannsverk found a bunch of gamers exuding detrimental vitality and vulnerable to “a collective psychological breakdown” when he was requested in early 2017 to hitch the backroom employees of a crew that had simply been relegated to Norway’s second tier.
His activity as “psychological coach” at Bodø/Glimt? To make gamers discuss overtly about their emotions, decrease stress ranges, change their attitudes and routines about issues like preparation and diet, and take away the stigma round psychological coaching.
Profitable or shedding now not mattered. It was all about following a philosophy and tradition established by Mannsverk, a former Royal Norwegian air power squadron chief whose navy duties took him to Afghanistan after the 9/11 assaults and to Libya for a NATO-led intervention in 2011.
The outcomes have been extraordinary.
After securing a right away return to Norway’s high division, the crew — based mostly greater than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) north of Oslo in a fishing city, Bodø, with a inhabitants of round 55,000 — has captured 4 of the nation’s final 5 league titles.
An lively air power pilot for greater than 20 years, Mannsverk and others in his squadron have been the topics of a psychological coaching venture in 2010 the place the main focus was on meditation and “each day repeating boring stuff, however with 100% consideration.”
It meant that when he was in Libya the next yr, he had the psychological capability to deal with the damaging missions he was requested to carry out. His squadron’s mantra — “prepare as you plan to battle” — labored.
“Though I received robust emotions when my first bombs hit the goal and it was in infernal flames and fragments and every part,” he stated, “it was like, ’My coaching stated that it’s OK, that is occurring, acknowledge that, however know I’ve to return and do my job.’”
With Bodø till not too long ago having a NATO air base, it was merely a contented coincidence that Bodø/Glimt’s management got here throughout members of the squadron similtaneously it was looking for a “silver bullet” — as Mannsverk put it — to enhance the crew’s psychological conditioning.
A venture was born and absolutely embraced by supervisor Kjetil Knutsen following his appointment in 2018.
Bodø/Glimt has by no means seemed again.