Tottenham: What’s next in Europa League after victory?

Tottenham advanced in the Europa League, so what’s next?

Tottenham Hotspur survived a potential early exit from the Europa League, bouncing back with two late goals to defeat Lokomotiv Plovdiv in the second qualifying round. But what’s next for Spurs?

Unfortunately, the group stage still feels a way off. Tottenham now advance to the third qualifying round, which takes place next Thursday. Spurs will again have to travel a long distance as they head to Macedonia to play Shkendija.

Once again, Tottenham will be strong favorites to win. But these one-off games are never easy, especially when the team has to travel a long distance on a short week.

If Spurs win next week’s game, they still won’t be in the group stage just yet. Victory next Thursday will send Tottenham into the playoff round. The draw for this round will take place on Friday. It’s again a one-off game, with the winner of that game advancing to the group stage.

This European journey is very different to Tottenham’s dramatic Champions League final run a couple of years ago, but if Spurs do reach the group stage of the competition, they’ll be considered one of the favorites to go all the way.

But it’s important not to take the qualifiers too lightly. Spurs were close to an early exit on Thursday night as they went a goal down in the 71st minute, despite the fact Jose Mourinho picked a strong starting lineup.

Tottenham dominated possession and had plenty of opportunities to score, and finally their best chance came with a penalty in the 80th minute. Lokomotiv Plovdiv had two players sent off in the process, and Harry Kane put the penalty away to level the game, with Spurs also having two extra players on the field.

At that point, it was game over. Tanguy Ndombele scored the winner after coming off the bench in the second half, giving Spurs a one-goal victory.

Relief is the word that best describes the post-game feeling, but Tottenham won’t care. They won and advanced to the next round. That’s all that counts.