Inter Vs Bodø/glimt: Arctic Underdogs Complete San Siro Shock to Reach Champions League Last 16
The night that saw Inter Vs Bodø/glimt end in one of the competition's biggest upsets finished with the Norwegian visitors 2-1 winners in Milan and 5-2 up on aggregate, securing a first-ever place in the Champions League last 16. The result matters because it completes a remarkable knockout play-off success over three-time winners Inter Milan and extends a sequence of high-profile scalps that began with victories over Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in the league phase.
Inter Vs Bodø/glimt: how the tie was decided
Bodø/Glimt entered the second leg holding a 3-1 advantage from the first match, then produced a resolute performance in Italy to complete a home-and-away double over Cristian Chivu's men. The visitors repelled numerous first-half Inter attacks before scoring twice in the later stages, winning 2-1 on the night and advancing 5-2 on aggregate. Marcus Thuram had a narrow early chance for Inter as the hosts started fast, his strike going narrowly over, but it was Bodø/Glimt who delivered the decisive moments.
Key players: Jens Petter Hauge and Hakon Evjen deliver again
Jens Petter Hauge continued his extraordinary campaign by scoring the opener — his sixth goal in this Champions League edition — and then setting up Hakon Evjen for the second. Hauge's goal total is the most ever by a Norwegian player for a Norwegian club in a single edition of the European Cup/Champions League. The forward returned to the San Siro where he previously spent two years at AC Milan, and his contributions proved decisive in shutting down one of Europe's elite sides.
Historic moment for Bodø/Glimt and Norwegian football
Manager Kjetil Knutsen described the achievement as a historical moment for Bodø and for Norwegian football. Bodø/Glimt are the first Norwegian side to progress in a knockout-stage tie in the Champions League and the first overall to advance in the European Cup since Lillestrom in 1987-88. The club have become the first team based outside Europe's big five leagues to win four consecutive games in a European Cup/Champions League campaign against opponents from those leagues since Ajax in 1971-72, the side that went on to win the European Cup that season.
Wider context: from near elimination to giant-killers
Their run is all the more extraordinary given how they started the league phase. Bodø/Glimt failed to win their first six league phase games and were left needing results against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid to reach the play-offs. At one point they had two points from their first five group matches and ultimately squeaked into the knockout phase in 23rd place, progressing by a margin of two goals. That recovery has now seen them eliminate Inter and leave the Serie A leaders with too much to do across the two legs.
Reactions, ripple effects and what comes next
Reactions ranged widely. In the same midweek of European competition, Newcastle won an entertaining, low-stakes second leg against Qarabag, while commentary from fans and contributors celebrated Bodø/Glimt's achievement. One contributor invoked recent Norwegian success in international and winter-sport arenas and urged more Italian match-ups for Norway; others called the San Siro performance extraordinary and compared the upset with rare historical shocks in the competition's past. One commentator noted an amusing trivia point about the club's name and popular culture.
At St James’ Park, Louise Taylor was present for that evening's action, where observers reflected on the wider night of European fixtures. Newcastle's manager Eddie Howe, speaking after his side’s match, said that at 2-0 his team probably came off the pedal, that the second half became end to end and that fatigue had affected the performance; he described the result as a somewhat hollow win and urged a return to domestic form while also praising the supporters and a tifo displayed in his honour that he had not seen at the time.
Legacy, records and an open last-16 draw
Beyond the immediate shock, Bodø/Glimt's campaign has reset expectations. Their sixth-goal scorer this season has set a national club record, their qualification marks a first for Norway in this phase of the modern Champions League era, and the club now stands one step away from joining Rosenborg as only the second Norwegian side to reach the quarter-finals. The team will face either Manchester City or Sporting in the last 16; which opponent they draw is unclear in the provided context. Observers noted that Bodø/Glimt's home environment can involve harsh wintry conditions, a distinctive aspect of their identity as a club based around 70 miles into the Arctic Circle.
Recent coverage of the match night included vivid fan commentary and manager assessments, and the shock at the San Siro is likely to be debated and dissected in the days ahead. For now, Bodø/Glimt have produced a sequence of results that few clubs outside Europe's biggest leagues have managed, and the club's Champions League story will continue in the last 16.
