Tottenham's bizarre season could end with Europa League glory - ESPN

LONDON — Tottenham's season of parallel realities continued against Bodø/Glimt in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semifinal tie on a humid Thursday evening. They took control of the tie with a 3-1 victory, and manager Ange Postecoglou took another step towards ultimate vindication.

But still, as is the norm, there's that frustrating, gnawing dab of jeopardy for Spurs as they prepare to travel to Norway next week. They dominated this match from their outset, scoring after just 39 seconds and it looked to be as close to a perfect night as possible for them as they threatened to add to their 3-0 lead, until Ulrik Saltnes scored in the 83rd minute to give Bodø/Glimt something to build on in the second leg.

To have that late setback was in keeping with this bizarre Spurs season. Postecoglou called it their «parallel reality» on Wednesday, referring to what he deemed was an unfair external denigration of this European run, but they have been living a split existence.

Their journey to this European semifinal is juxtaposed against an abysmal Premier League campaign, which is teetering on the verge of becoming their worst ever season in the top flight. Their 19 defeats in the league, are weighed against this memorable European campaign where they are a trip to the Arctic Circle, one disciplined 90 minutes away from securing their spot in the Europa League final and with it, the chance to win their first trophy since 2008 to secure a spot in next year's Champions League.

It is the most brilliantly confusing, frustrating season, which could end up with an exhilarating final flourish. The sometimes error-strewn, jumbled performances in the league were nothing like this disciplined and physical triumph.

Spurs looked to test