Inter - Bodø/glimt — inter - bodø/glimt: Bodo/Glimt stun Serie A leaders to reach Champions League last 16
inter - bodø/glimt completed a shock knockout play-off victory in Milan, beating Inter Milan 2-1 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate to secure a place in the Champions League last 16 for the first time. The result matters because it completes a run that already included wins over Manchester City and Atletico Madrid and delivers historic firsts for Norwegian football.
How Bodo/Glimt finished the job in Milan
On Tuesday night in Milan, Bodo/Glimt repelled numerous first-half Inter attacks before scoring twice and sealing a 2-1 victory in the San Siro. Jens Petter Hauge opened the scoring, his sixth goal in this Champions League campaign, and then set up Hakon Evjen for the second. That left the Serie A leaders with too much to do: Bodo/Glimt had held a 3-1 lead from the first leg and wrapped up the tie 5-2 on aggregate to complete a home-and-away double over Cristian Chivu's men.
Historic milestones and headline records
The win sends Bodo/Glimt into the Champions League last 16 for the first time. Kjetil Knutsen called it "It is a historical moment for Bodo and I think also for Norwegian football. " The Norwegians 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 1987-88. Jens Petter 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.
Inter’s selection and injury picture for the second leg
Inter Milan arrived at the second leg in San Siro as Serie A leaders facing a 3-1 deficit to overturn. Cristian Chivu's side had been beaten by Paris St-Germain in the final of this competition just over nine months ago and are three-time winners of the tournament. Lautaro Martínez picked up a calf injury in the first leg and, while his recovery timeline was described as possibly quicker than expected, he was not available for Bodø's visit. In his absence, Marcus Thuram was expected to partner last week’s goalscorer Pio Esposito. Federico Dimarco had been an unused substitute in the Arctic Circle but 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 Chivu's engine room after missing Saturday's 2-0 victory over Lecce.
Bodo/Glimt’s unlikely route from the Arctic Circle
Bodo/Glimt have forged a reputation for upsets from their base roughly 70 miles into the Arctic Circle, where home games can often be played in harsh wintry conditions. Their fairytale run looked unlikely after failing to win their first six league phase games, which left them needing results against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid to qualify for the play-offs. Instead they beat Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in the league phase and then scored twice in quick succession around the hour mark in the first leg to stun the Italian giants. Knutsen's tight-knit squad have also been emboldened by recent results on visits to Borussia Dortmund and Atlético Madrid. Jens Petter Hauge, 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. "
Inter - Bodø/glimt: what comes next in the Champions League
Having reached the last 16, Bodo/Glimt will face either Manchester City or Sporting. 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 those leagues (England, Spain, Germany, Italy & France) since Ajax in 1971-72, and Ajax went on to win the European Cup that season. For Inter, the defeat closes a chapter on a tie in which they were caught cold by Bodo's imperious slickness in a familiar environment; for Bodo/Glimt, it confirms a run that has rewritten several pages of club and national history.
