Inter - Bodø/glimt: inter - bodø/glimt ends in 2-1 win as Bodo/Glimt reach last 16
inter - bodø/glimt finished with a 2-1 victory in Milan as Bodo/Glimt completed a 5-2 aggregate success to reach the Champions League last 16 for the first time. The Norwegian side, who beat Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in the league phase, defended stoutly at the San Siro before scoring twice to seal progression.
Match outcome and aggregate
Bodo/Glimt won the second leg 2-1 in Milan to complete a 5-2 aggregate win over Inter Milan. The Norwegian visitors had held a 3-1 lead from the first leg and then repelled numerous first-half Inter attacks in Italy before adding two decisive goals. The result ensured Bodo/Glimt’s place in the Champions League last 16 for the first time, where they will face either Manchester City or Sporting.
How the goals unfolded
Jens Petter Hauge opened the scoring in the San Siro, his sixth goal in this edition of the competition, and then set up Hakon Evjen for the second with a lovely finish. The visitors scored twice to ultimately leave the Serie A leaders with too much to do. Bodo completed a home-and-away double over Cristian Chivu’s men after another resolute and determined display in Italy.
Inter - Bodø/glimt: Hauge and Evjen
Jens Petter Hauge was again inspirational: he scored the opener and provided the assist for Hakon Evjen’s finish. Hauge’s six goals this season are the most ever by a Norwegian player for a Norwegian club in a single edition of the European Cup/Champions League. Hauge, who was back in the San Siro where he had a two-year spell at AC Milan, said, "It sounds not true, but we are there, among the last teams in the competition. " He added, "It will be really exciting to see what the next two games bring. "
Manager and player reactions
Boss Kjetil Knutsen described the achievement as a landmark, saying: "It is a historical moment for Bodo and I think also for Norwegian football. " The manager and players collected that reaction after completing a run that has seen them defy expectations across Europe.
Inter team news and injuries
Before the second leg Inter Milan had a 3–1 deficit to make up when they welcomed Bodø/Glimt to the San Siro. Inter’s captain, Lautaro Martínez, picked up a calf injury in the first leg and will not be available for Bodø’s visit. Marcus Thuram was expected to partner last week’s goalscorer Pio Esposito, while Federico Dimarco—an unused substitute in the Arctic Circle—was a certainty to start the second leg. Piotr Zieliński was set to operate at the base of midfield in Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s absence, and Nicolo Barella was due to return to Cristian Chivu’s engine room after missing Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Lecce.
Records and historical context
Bodo/Glimt are the first Norwegian side to progress in a knockout-stage tie in the Champions League and the first overall in the European Cup since Lillestrom in the first round in 1987-88. The Norwegians are also the first team from outside Europe’s big five leagues to win four consecutive games in a European Cup/Champions League campaign against opponents from England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France since Ajax in 1971-72, and Ajax went on to win the European Cup that season. The fairytale run followed a difficult start: Bodo/Glimt failed to win their first six league phase games and were left needing results against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid to qualify for the play-offs.
Bodo/Glimt are based around 70 miles into the Arctic Circle and their home games can often be played in harsh wintry conditions. Their victory in Milan — coupled with earlier wins over Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in the league phase, and recent competitive results on visits to Borussia Dortmund and Atlético Madrid — underlined a run of results that has stunned opponents and observers alike.
When Antonio Conte was appointed Inter boss in 2019 he was keen to rid the Nerazzurri of their "pazza" tag, a background note that framed expectations around Cristian Chivu’s side; Chivu’s team had been beaten by Paris St-Germain in the final of this competition just over nine months ago. Chivu’s side were caught cold by Bodø’s slickness in a familiar environment and ultimately could not overturn the deficit over two legs.
Bodo/Glimt’s success in the knockout play-off round stands as a rare and comprehensive upset in Champions League history, and the club now await whether Manchester City or Sporting will be their last-16 opponent.
