Inter - Bodø/glimt: How a tiny Arctic club’s San Siro shock reshapes who feels the Champions League heat

Why this matters now: inter - bodø/glimt has moved from improbable story to tangible impact on European knockout competition, putting a Norwegian club into the Champions League round of 16 and unsettling a Serie A leader that was expected to advance. The outcome changes which clubs carry momentum into spring, who draws heavy attention in the bracket, and which players’ stock rises from a single dramatic night at the San Siro.

Immediate impact — who is affected and how

Bodø/Glimt’s 2-1 win at the San Siro on Feb 24, 2026 completed a 5-2 aggregate victory in the playoff and sent the Norwegian side into the Champions League round of 16. This makes Bodø/Glimt the first Norwegian team ever to win a Champions League knockout tie, and it hands Inter Milan a rare and high-profile exit. The result lifts Bodø/Glimt into a tie with either Manchester City or Sporting CP in the next round, and it changes expectations for clubs that had penciled Inter into later stages.

What’s easy to miss is how sharply this accelerates the club’s profile: Bodø/Glimt reached this point in their first season in Europe’s top competition after a late run of wins that included Manchester City and Atlético Madrid.

Inter - Bodø/glimt: the decisive moments and scoreline

Defending a 3-1 first-leg lead, Inter Milan lost 2-1 at home on the night as Jens Petter Hauge and Hakon Evjen scored in the second half to stun the San Siro crowd. Alessandro Bastoni pulled one back for Inter, but Bodø/Glimt’s aggregate advantage held at 5-2, securing progression from the playoff stage into the last 16.

• Final (San Siro): Inter Milan 1–2 Bodø/Glimt (Feb 24, 2026)
• Aggregate: 5–2 in favor of Bodø/Glimt
• Goals that shifted the tie: Ole Didrik Blomberg’s play in the 58th minute led to Hauge’s rebound finish; Hauge recorded his sixth Champions League goal that season. Evjen’s strike arrived in the 72nd minute after Inter hit the post in an attempted comeback.
• Attendance detail: roughly 3, 000 traveling fans celebrated the away goals that sealed the tie.

Here’s the part that matters for the match turning point: a defensive mistake by Manuel Akanji was exploited in the 58th minute — Blomberg’s shot was saved by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer but Hauge converted the rebound — and Akanji later hit the post as Inter chased a comeback.

Personnel, injuries and selection notes that mattered

Inter entered the second leg with a 3–1 deficit to overturn. Inter’s captain, Lautaro Martínez, had suffered a calf injury in the first leg and was not available for the San Siro visit. In his absence, Marcus Thuram was expected to partner Pio Esposito in attack.

Other selection notes: Federico Dimarco had been an unused substitute in the Arctic Circle first leg but was certain to start the second leg at San Siro. Piotr Zieliński was set to operate at the base of midfield in Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s absence, while Nicolo Barella returned to the midfield after missing a recent 2-0 victory over Lecce. Cristian Chivu was in charge of Inter for the tie; the club’s attempt to recover from the deficit followed a recent era-long effort to change the team’s reputation that traces back to Antonio Conte’s appointment in 2019.

What this run changes next and quick takeaways

Bodø/Glimt’s progression alters the last-16 picture: they will face either Manchester City or Sporting CP. Their sequence of results — failing to win any group-stage game by the start of January, then beating Manchester City and Atlético Madrid late in the league phase and now eliminating Inter — represents a dramatic turnaround in a single campaign.

• Bodø/Glimt are the first Norwegian club to win a Champions League knockout tie and the first European Cup winner outside the big five leagues to string together four straight wins against big-five opponents since Ajax in 1971–72 (Ajax went on to win the trophy that season).
• Jens Petter Hauge scored six goals in this Champions League campaign — the most by any player for a Norwegian club in a single edition.
• A month prior, Bodø/Glimt’s chance of advancing was pegged at 0. 3% after collecting three points from six group games; the team’s late surge overturned that outlook.
• Inter topped Italy’s Serie A by 10 points before this tie yet were eliminated over two legs.

Micro timeline embedded: 1971–72 (Ajax’s four-win run against big-five opposition), 1987–88 (Lillestrøm were the last Norwegian side to progress in the European Cup era), Feb 24, 2026 (Bodø/Glimt’s 2-1 San Siro win completed a 5-2 aggregate).

The real question now is how Bodø/Glimt handle a sudden shift from underdog to hunted side in the last 16, and how Inter respond domestically after a high-profile European exit.

Key takeaways for stakeholders

• Bodø/Glimt: First season in the competition, historic knockout success, and heightened expectations against top clubs.
• Inter Milan: Knocked out despite topping Serie A by 10 points; will need to regroup after a promising domestic season.
• Players to watch: Jens Petter Hauge (six goals this campaign) and Hakon Evjen (crucial second-leg goal).
• Wider signals: A club based about 70 miles inside the Arctic Circle can alter knockout-stage narratives and force re-evaluation of underdog potential in Europe.

It’s easy to overlook, but this sequence — from no group wins by January to beating Manchester City, Atlético Madrid and then eliminating Inter — is an unusually steep momentum curve in a single Champions League campaign.

Recent updates indicate some details around squad fitness and exact next-round opponent are still evolving; those specifics may change as the competition schedule is confirmed.