These are unusual instances for Tottenham. Traditionally they've typically been a facet whose performances didn't match their outcomes, however custom has it they might be fairly and ineffective. Below Thomas Frank they've change into the other. Simply as at Brighton they went 2-0 down and got here again to attract; once more, there was extra to admire of their character than how they performed. And if Andreas Helmersen's effort hadn't hit the bar with a few minutes remaining, it will have been a really completely different story.
This was Bodø/Glimt's first dwelling sport within the group part of the Champions League, and so they had been decided to benefit from it. The pre-match singing of the membership anthem was heartfelt and gently transferring, and adopted by the rhythmic detonation of a collection of fireworks, startlingly loud within the nonetheless Arctic evening. European soccer has little place today for love however Glimt stay an instance of what will be achieved by enlightened management even in a distant city of simply over 50,000 inhabitants.
They could have received 4 of the previous 5 Norwegian championships, and be handily positioned as this season's title race enters the run-in, however this isn't a membership that has change into sated by silverware. Their latest success has not fairly come from nowhere – they did have a handful of second-placed finishes, however within the eighties, as they slid into the third flight, Glimt weren't even the largest workforce in Bodø, that honour belonging to Grand.
Again then their predominant declare to fame was the ahead slash of their title, launched to keep away from the confusion their hyphen brought about on betting coupons. The hyphen itself was a product of Glimt including Bodø to their title in 1948 in order that they wouldn't be blended up with a equally named membership from Trøndelag.
Throughout city, among the many clapboard homes and alongside the dockside, yellow Glimt flags may very well be seen, whereas the temper was concurrently welcoming and disbelieving. That is nonetheless a membership for whom enjoying within the Champions League is a privilege. A comeback earned them a 2-2 draw away to Slavia Prague two weeks in the past of their first sport within the group and there was no trace of inferiority right here.
The place Spurs, having made 5 modifications from Saturday's draw towards Wolves, and maybe lacking the management of Cristian Romero, left in London as a precaution, struggled for rhythm, Glimt attacked with fluency and goal. An awkwardly swerving shot from their captain Patrick Berg drew an early save from Guglielmo Vicario and there have been a few half-chances from corners earlier than a late problem from Rodrigo Bentancur on Fredrik André Bjørkan gave Glint a Thirty second-minute penalty.
Introduced with a historic alternative, although, Kasper Høgh smashed his shot so excessive over the bar that it cleared the seating behind the purpose and may even have cleared the tiled roofs of the homes throughout the road had there not been a web strung between the flagpoles on the high of the stand.
There have been different possibilities for Glimt as they loved 64% of possession earlier than the break, Jens Petter Hauge, a persistent menace ghosting in from the left, flashed a shot simply extensive after which Sondre Brunstad Fet fired over after a cut-back had discovered him in house in the course of the field.
Spurs had been lucky to get in stage at half-time. They'd creaked at instances defensively and supplied little or no as an attacking menace. Current performances – the house humbling towards Bournemouth, the drab 1-0 win over Villarreal, the draw with Wolves – had dampened down a few of the optimism of early season, and there was little within the first half right here to reignite it.
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The purpose that had been coming virtually type kick-off arrived eight minutes into the second half, Hauge drifting infield and curving a shot into the far nook. The 25 12 months outdated was born within the metropolis and started his profession with Glimt earlier than leaving for spells at Milan and Eintracht Frankfurt the place he grew to become the primary Norwegian to win the Europa League earlier than returning to Glimt on mortgage final season. He skipped by means of so as to add a second 13 minutes later.
Nikita Haikin, the Glimt goalkeeper, had identified how “uncommon” it was that Tottenham focus a lot on set-plays and for a very long time that did seem their solely menace. Rodrigo Bentancur appeared to have levelled two minutes after the Glimt opener, because the ball was returned to the centre after a Pedro Porro free-kick had hit the publish; it was dominated out after a VAR assessment for a pull by Micky van de Ven.
Spurs did rating two minutes after Glimt's second, Van de Ven heading in one other Porro free-kick, elevating hopes of an unlikely comeback. Wilson Odobert headed a Mohammed Kudus supply towards the crossbar after which within the 89th minute got here an equaliser, Archie Grey's shot finally ricocheting in off Jostein Gundersen. Deserved? Maybe not, however when has that ever mattered?
