Lucas Bergvall on crutches and double Tottenham injury concern for Ange Postecoglou vs Bodo/Glimt

Tottenham are in a strong position to make the Europa League final after recording a 3-1 semi-final first leg victory over Bodo/Glimt. Coming into the game smarting from Sunday's 5-1 defeat at Liverpool, Ange Postecoglou made six changes to his starting XI after resting some key players at Anfield.

The headline news saw Yves Bissouma and Richarlison come into the team, with Dejan Kulusevski and Mathys Tel having to settle for a place on the substitutes' bench. .

Despite the setback, Spurs opened the scoring with only 38 seconds on the clock as Brennan Johnson combined with Richarlison to head home and give the hosts the perfect start to proceedings. Tottenham did threaten to add to their scoreline early on as James Maddison and Micky van de Ven had good openings to double the lead.

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. It almost got even better for Spurs as Rodrigo Bentancur's stinging volley was superbly tipped over the crossbar by Nikita Khaikin.

Tottenham did get their third of the night on the hour mark as Dominic Solanke converted from the penalty spot after Cristian Romero was fouled in the area by Fredrik Sjovold. The visitors were to reduce the deficit to two goals once again with seven minutes to go as Ulrik Saltnes pulled one back to make things interesting heading into next Thursday's game in Norway.

Here are five things we spotted in the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:

Bissouma and Richarlison selection

It's fair to say that team selection certainly surprised the vast majority of fans. Barely anyone would have had in their predicted team after the midfielder had failed to feature in four of the team's last five matches.

selection on the left-wing from the off was also a shock, especially as it meant he was named in the team with Solanke and the majority of his football in a Spurs shirt had come as a striker. Speaking ahead of the game, and also the Brazilian's "experience" and "ability" in and around the box.

Richarlison and Bissouma only needed just over 30 seconds to make a telling impact as they both played their part in Johnson's opener. Bissouma used his strength to win possession of the ball up against Ole Didrik Blomberg before teeing up Porro to cross it in, with Richarlison duly heading the Spaniard's delivery across goal for his fellow winger to nod the ball home.

Richarlison was heavily involved throughout the first half and certainly repaid Postecoglou's faith in him, although his end product was missing at times and he did struggle to beat his man on a few occasions. He did make way at the break but he more than played his part in the first 45 minutes, as did Bissouma who put in a very solid showing over the course of 90 minutes.

Bergvall woe

In his pre-match interview, Postecoglou revealed that was "hugely disappointed" to miss out on Tottenham's European showdown against Bodo/Glimt. The Swede has been an integral part of the Tottenham XI in 2025 and he would have been one of the first names on the teamsheet had he not suffered an ankle injury in training on Wednesday.

"Unfortunately for Lucas, he picked up an injury in training yesterday," said Postecoglou. "He tweaked his ankle unfortunately and misses out tonight. Disappointing for him because he's been outstanding this year and he's hugely disappointed with that and unfortunately he misses out."

Tottenham fans had spotted that Bergvall had not emerged from the tunnel with the rest of the squad a couple of hours before the game for their usual pre-match walk. The youngster did eventually make his way into the stadium minutes before kick-off and he could be seen on crutches and with a protective boot on his right foot.

All will be hoping that he can make a swift return to the team as they plot a big end to the season in the Europa League.

Maddison x Porro

goal against Bodo/Glimt had a rather familiar look about it. Rewind back to the end of January and it was in fact a carbon copy of his strike in the crucial game against Hoffenheim.

Combining with to perfection on that evening in Germany, the pair did likewise just over three months on. Again, it all came from excellent movement from Maddison and his teammate not only spotting his run but executing his pass to perfection.

Whereas against Hoffenheim Maddison's effort went into the roof of the net, this time he found the bottom corner with a low finish beyond Khaikin in the Bodo/Glimt goal. Both players deserve a huge amount of praise for their combination play that saw them double the lead.

Penalty trick

It initially appeared that Maddison would have the chance to double his tally for the night as he was the player in possession of the ball on the penalty spot. Instead, the attacking midfielder handed Solanke the ball and he calmly did the rest with a nonchalant penalty that he passed into the back of the net after the goalkeeper had made his move.

It's now very common to see a player stand with the ball at the penalty spot before later turning back and passing it to a teammate. The move allowed Solanke to compose his thoughts and steady his nerves prior to standing 12 yards out from goal.

Maddison's decision certainly worked as he had Saltnes trying to put him off and unsettle him. The midfielder was eventually ushered away by Johnson and Tel, only to then see Solanke take charge after previously trying his best to put Maddison off.

Injury concerns

It wouldn't be Tottenham without receiving a couple of injury scares during the game. Having seen Bergvall ruled out of the fixture with an ankle injury and watching from the side on crutches, Spurs saw Maddison and Solanke leave the field late on.

Maddison went down with nobody around him shortly after Solanke had scored his penalty and called the physios on. After getting a bit of treatment, Kulusevski replaced him and the goalscorer went straight down the tunnel rather than taking his place on the bench.

Solanke was next to make way in the closing stages with what appeared to be a thigh issue. Again, he received treatment before exiting the field as Wilson Odobert came on in his place.

Spurs will be keeping their fingers crossed that it is nothing too serious as they look on course to have a couple of big games coming up very soon.

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