Inter - Bodø/glimt: Norwegian Giant-Killers Complete San Siro Shock to Reach Champions League Last 16
Bodø/Glimt defeated Inter Milan 2-1 in Milan to complete a 5-2 aggregate victory and secure a place in the Champions League last 16 for the first time — a result that has reshaped the conversation around underdogs this season. The inter - bodø/glimt tie matters now because the Norwegian side’s run, which included group wins over Manchester City and Atlético Madrid, is the rarest of European stories and alters qualification paths for elite clubs.
San Siro: Second-leg win and aggregate score
The second leg at the San Siro finished 1-2 to Bodø/Glimt, leaving Inter Milan to rue a 5-2 aggregate defeat after the Norwegians carried a 3-1 lead from the first leg into the return. Bodø repelled numerous first-half Inter attacks and then struck twice around the hour mark, reproducing the quick succession of goals that had stunned Inter in the earlier fixture. The night’s 2-1 scoreline completed a home-and-away double over Cristian Chivu’s men.
Jens Petter Hauge and Hakon Evjen: decisive contributions
Jens Petter Hauge opened the scoring in Milan, marking his sixth goal in this Champions League campaign for Bodø/Glimt; that total is the most ever by a Norwegian player for a Norwegian club in a single edition of the European Cup/Champions League. Hauge then set up Hakon Evjen for the second, sealing the night’s result. Hauge, who returned to the San Siro where he previously had a two-year spell at AC Milan, said it “sounds not true, but we are there, among the last teams in the competition. ”
Kjetil Knutsen and the historical milestone
Manager Kjetil Knutsen described the outcome as a ‘‘historical moment for Bodø and I think also for Norwegian football. ’’ The victory makes Bodø/Glimt the first Norwegian side to progress in a knockout-stage tie in the Champions League and the first Norwegian club to advance in the European Cup knockout rounds since Lillestrøm in 1987-88. The club will now face either Manchester City or Sporting in the last 16.
Inter Milan: selection troubles and tactical adjustments
Inter arrived in the tie as Serie A leaders but carried a 3-1 deficit from the first leg. Their captain, Lautaro Martínez, sustained a calf injury in the first leg and was unavailable for the visit to Bodø/Glimt; while there had been hope he might recover sooner, he did not feature. Cristian Chivu made changes with Marcus Thuram likely to partner Pio Esposito — Esposito having been last week’s goalscorer — and Federico Dimarco, unused in the Arctic Circle first leg, was set to start the second leg. Piotr Zieliński operated at the base of midfield in Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s absence, and Nicolo Barella returned to the engine room after missing Inter’s 2-0 win over Lecce that preceded the tie.
Bodø/Glimt’s improbable path: wins, conditions and resilience
Bodø/Glimt’s advance caps a campaign that saw them beat Manchester City and Atlético Madrid in the group phase before eliminating Inter in the playoff round. The club, based around 70 miles inside the Arctic Circle, has often taken advantage of harsh wintry conditions at home, and the squad’s resilience has been consistent: they failed to win their first six group games and were left needing favourable results against Manchester City and Atlético to reach the play-offs. Their four consecutive victories over opponents from England, Spain and Italy mark the first time since Ajax’s 1971-72 run that a team from outside Europe’s big five leagues has won four straight European Cup/Champions League matches against opponents from those leagues; Ajax went on to win the European Cup that season.
Inter - Bodø/glimt: what this means for European competition
What makes this notable is that Bodø/Glimt have combined unexpected tactical poise with a streak of results against top clubs, producing landmark statistics and firsts for Norwegian football. The cause-and-effect is clear: a 3-1 cushion from the first leg, disciplined defending in the San Siro first half and the decisive individual contributions by Hauge and Evjen led directly to the 2-1 win on the night and 5-2 aggregate. The broader implication is a disruption in the expected progression of elite teams and a fresh knockout opponent awaiting Manchester City or Sporting in the last 16.
For Inter and Cristian Chivu, the defeat is a reversal of form against a side whose season trajectory — from six straight group-game winless matches to continental giant-killer — underlines the unpredictability of this Champions League campaign.
