Tottenham Hotspur came to play in an energetic, excitement-filled contest with Bodo/Glimt. Even after finding themselves down two goals with only 24 minutes remaining, they were able to comeback and earn a 2-2 tie. Jens Petter Hauge was the hero for the Norwegian side, scoring both goals and putting the hosts in complete control. Micky van de Ven’s goal ignited a spirited comeback for Tottenham, culminating in an own goal by Jostein Gundersen that ensured Spurs maintained their unbeaten start to this season’s Champions League.
The Friendly Toward Change match played at Aspmyra Stadion in Bodo, Norway. Bodo/Glimt wanted to get a bit of revenge on Tottenham after they knocked them out in last season’s Europa League semi-finals. It was the home team that controlled the first half. Yet they had difficulty translating their ball control into scores and could not take advantage of their chances.
Bodo/Glimt came out of the gate flying and applied excellent highcha, offensive pressure. In a surprising statement though, even with all their advantages, they couldn’t score in the first half of play. A second Kasper Hogh penalty miss only added to their woeful lack of finishing, a close-range Sondre Brunstad Fet miss adding insult to injury.
Tottenham came into the match with a totally different starting eleven, as they made five changes from their last game. Cristian Romero was out and replaced by Kevin Danso. The only other new faces besides Maddison were Pedro Porro, Pape Sarr, Brennan Johnson, and Wilson Odobert. This change was one piece of head coach Thomas Frank’s master plan to rotate the squad without sacrificing the team’s ability to compete.
As the second half played out, Bodo/Glimt took full advantage of that first half momentum. Hauge again, scoring two goals within a minute of each other. In the 66th minute he finished off a terrific team play, and barely three minutes later he made the score 2-0. Back up against the wall from the 2-0 scoreline, Spurs had to come back and lose a miserable match.
Tottenham ignited their comeback when Van de Ven netted in the 76th minute. It was his goal that sparked the team’s determination to band together and forge ahead. The U-20 defender’s hit not only woke up his teammates, but turned the momentum heavily in favor of the visitors.
In a dramatic turn of events, Jostein Gundersen would triple Norway’s deficit by accidentally scoring an own goal. That mistake gifted Tottenham an equalizer at 2-2 just seconds later. That late surprise equalizer allowed Spurs to steal back a point. In the end, they salvaged their unbeaten run in Champions League group stage history, extending it now to 47 matches.
“The first positive is that the mentality and character of the players was very good. We stayed in the game and kept fighting. That gave us a very good point away from home. When you’re 2-0 down against a Bodo team that is very good here, we need to be happy with that.” – Thomas Frank
Looking back on the game, Frank admitted Bodo/Glimt deserved their first half display. He explained how Spurs had faced difficulty defensively versus their high press and how they needed to be more courageous with the ball.
“Until 2-0, especially in the first half, Bodo was better than us. We know they are exceptionally good at what they’re doing. They’re well coached. That was clear to see in the first half. We struggled a little bit defensively with the high pressure and we should’ve been braver on the ball.” – Thomas Frank
Even through that ugly stretch and inconsistent play, Frank held admiration for his team’s toughness and pluckiness. From his perspective, it was nice to see us be able to rally from down again.
“After 2-0, we were the best team. We got back from 2-0 down against Brighton. Back from behind against Wolves. Back from behind today. That’s hugely important. Our mentality is to keep running and keep fighting hard.” – Thomas Frank
Having played two matches in this season’s group stage, Tottenham suddenly sits pretty with four points. Players to Watch Frank was particularly keen on the importance of getting a point on the road to their bigger campaign.
“You have to do that in football, even if you’re on top of the game. Four points from the two games is good and also today, to get a point, is a fine start.” – Thomas Frank
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