It wasn't a consolation, but rather a lifeline, as we put it in Big Midweek. It was a way to get back into the match with Spurs' lead less certain going into the trip to a tricky little stadium with a very tricky pitch and some very tricky weather conditions, not to mention a Bodo/Glimt team fully recovered after all those first-leg suspensions were over.
Their chances were in their favor, they weren't afraid to express it, and no one believed they were mistaken. The home team's decision to water an artificial field with wrinkles in every corner despite hours of rain and the unfurling of a massive Minion-based Tifo made it difficult to avoid the impression that Spursiness would not be able to improve the situation before kickoff. Many clubs that aren't as good at self-defeating slapstick have shuddered in the past when they saw Minions.
However, it is not what actually happened. On these Europa League evenings, Spurs are seemingly made of much tougher stuff. Spurs dominated the match until ultimately ending it with two fast goals in the second half, demonstrating once more the professionalism and pragmatism of Frankfurt in the previous round.
What's really impressive is how Spurs have demonstrated that they can defend effectively and decently when positioned to give them a chance in the last two away European games, which called for a very specific set of talents.
It was hard to criticize Spurs' striking mix between attacking ambition and defensive solidity, just like in Frankfurt. They are completely incapable of displaying this degree of flexibility in domestic football, which is a puzzle that can only be partially explained by the strength of both their own and their opponents' teams on these Thursday nights in Europe.
Bodo/Glimt have been the top home goal scorers in the Europa League knockout stage, undoubtedly helped by the special qualities and difficulties of their stadium. Spurs virtually shut them down. A squad that had defeated Lazio 2-0, Olympiacos 3-0, and Twente 5-2 here in earlier rounds hardly threatened Guglielmo Vicario's goal, with the exception of a 10-minute burst late in the first half and a few late surges after the match was long gone.
The fact that he was wearing bright orange instead of his typical yellow made it even more startling to see him whacking every goal-kick as far as he could after taking as much time as he possibly could. He completed what little he had to accomplish without any fuss. Mate, that's just who we are.
There were several outstanding performances in front of him from guys who haven't been playing like that for large portions of this season. There aren't many greater compliments than the way Cristian Romero handled it like it was an Argentina match.
It served as a reminder that whomever manages to obtain a completely focused and involved version of him the following season—albeit one that is still likely to be fairly insane at times—will still have a fantastic player.
Micky van de Ven, as Spurs can get him on the field, he remains the most noticeable difference-maker of all. However, we winced as he ran and turned on this pitch in this conditions. When he is around, they are still quite capable of catastrophe, but with that speed, he is frequently an essential get-out-of-jail-free card.
The fact that Destiny Udogie kept some of his customary attacking and inverting licenses demonstrated the fundamentals of Spurs' approach, which was not only to defend what they had but also to avoid putting it in danger.
Few players ever deserved a tap-in more than Dominic Solanke, who is increasingly playing the Big Nando Llorente role in this latest unlikely Spurs trip to a European final.
Rodrigo Bentancur had his best Spurs game in a while, Yves Bissouma his best in even longer, and Solanke put in a huge shift in thankless conditions. Romero met a Mathys Tel corner and nodded it back across goal after receiving absurd hang-time.
Because Pedro Porro was so perfect, even one of his mistakes resulted in a goal. It's so improbable that Porro could have performed without making a major mistake that the referee simply concluded he must have done so late in the game with a well-timed tackle in the penalty area.
When photos showed that Porro, like Spurs in general, had nailed it, VAR took away the penalty after it had been awarded. Okay, referee, we're just as shocked as everyone else. Naturally, the match was finished by that point, with Spurs leading 5-1 overall, but the clean sheet seemed important.
As of right moment, Spurs have only given up two goals in their four quarterfinal and semifinal games. We don't have to explain to you how out of character that is for Spurs in general, and this particular version in particular.
We're so accustomed to watching Spurs stumble around the Premier League that it seems ridiculous to consider them in a European final this season. Indeed, the Premier League obligations have clearly and rightly taken a backseat in recent weeks, but the bumblef*cking goes much beyond that.
On the other hand, Spurs have been incredibly good at the end of this competition as it became their only and only concentration.
It has been difficult to criticize Spurs' efforts since the second leg against Arizona. Five games, that is. When the entire season and multiple careers depended on the results of each and every one of them, they put up five cohesive, mature, heartfelt, and most importantly, brilliant performances.
Indeed, the gap between the Champions League and Europa League has never seemed greater than it does at the moment, but Spurs—Spurs—have been handling things in a startlingly responsible manner, handling setbacks with cool composure and occasionally with a touch of class.
A generation of banter will vanish if they have to do it just once more. Again, against a team at least as dim-witted as everyone else. Another game against a squad they have already defeated three times this season, scoring eight goals and keeping two clean sheets.
But also against a squad whose pattern of winning trophies makes being objectively bad in no way a hindrance to trophies. Should they win in Bilbao, the team will have won three increasingly significant trophies in three years of declining football performance.
This is an exciting final that will determine whether England's current 15th or 16th-best team advances to the Champions League. There's no logical conclusion.
There is a genuine concern that Tottenham would just wait for the worst or funniest moment to happen as a result of all these strong performances. You can't escape that.
Here, however, that fear was very much present, and Spurs laughed despite it. What if, in his second season, Ange Postecoglou actually does win something every time? What if this is the moment when Spurs truly get the last laugh and the joke stops being about them? Crazy, wild talk. Crazy, wild, but now incredibly realistic speech.
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