Spurs heat is just too much for Arctic Circle boys Bodo as all-English Europa League final looms

Flag Day at the TH Stadium : Picture by @YTJourno

Europa League Semi-Final First Leg

Tottenham Hotspur (2) 3 Johnson 1, Maddison 32, Solanke pen 61

FK Bodo/Glimt (0) 1 Saltnes 83

Maybe Ange is a lucky lieutenant after all. You don't get to play a team like Bodo/Glimt in a major European semi-final unless the football gods come up trumps in the cup draw.

Europe's second tier competition is a notoriously tough mountain to scale but having such a limited obstacle at this late stage of the competition is as perfect as it could be. The team with the wifi password for a name.

Spurs - and Postecoglou - were not about to look this Norwegian gift-horse in the mouth and they duly put them away without much difficulty.

They did concede late on to offer their plucky visitors a glimmer of hope for the return leg but have one foot firmly planted in the final - where Man United will be their opponents barring a miraculous recovery from Atletico Bilbao next week at Old Trafford after a 3-0 thumping on home soil in the first leg.

Bodo's gritty effort was laudable but It does not say much for Lazio, the team they beat on penalties in the quarter-finals. They are not a strong side, as you'd expect from a team based so far from Europe's urban hotspots in a commune of only 40,000 souls.

It took all of 38 seconds for Spurs to begin their inexorable march towards Bilbao's San Mames stadium .

All it took to unlock the Norway league leaders was a a simple close-range header from Brennan Johnson after Richarlison had steered a Pedro Porro cross into his path with a clever header back across goal.

Bodo players gathered in a huddle to absorb the shell-shock.

They had a decent spell as they tried to play their way in but James Maddison snuffed out the rising optimism when he latched onto a ball hit long by Porro and scuffed the ball past two retreating yellow shirted defenders.

After that, it looked like Spurs would probably rack up a shed load more goals. Rodrigo Bentancur nearly added a third with a rasping volley that keeper Nikita Haikin did well to reach.

A third goal did come on the hour, however, when VAR intervened after Cristian Romero was caught on the ankle by Bolo defender Fredrik Sjovold to concede a penalty that Dominic Solanke coolly put away.

That may have been a cue for joy unconfined in the steep banks of the South Stand, but that did not prevent fans from airing that familiar anti-Daniel Levy chant.

To their credit, the underdogs pegged a goal back when skipper Ulrik Satnes was allowed to turn inside the area and fire home with the aid of a deflection off a prone Bentancur, but it would be a major surprise if it alters the outcome.

The 8,000 capacity Aspmyra Stadium awaits for the Arctic Circe return. Bodo have caused some big names grief there in the past on their artificial surface, including Jose Mourinho's Roma, who were hammered 6-1 there four years ago. But this tie is surely done and dusted - barring another of those Spursy moments.

Spurs: (4-2-3-1) Vicario - Pedro Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie - Bentancur, Bissouma - Johnson, Maddison (Kulusevski 65), Richarlison (Tel h/t) - Solanke (Odobert 75)

Bodo (4-3-3) Haikin - Sjovold, Gundersen, Nielsen (Moe h/t), Bjorkan - Brunstad Fet (Jensen 76), Hauge, Saltnes - Maatta (Auklend 65), Hogh, Blomberg (Sorli 77)

Attendance: 61,327