Inter Vs Bodø/glimt: 'Historical moment' as Norwegian side reach Champions League last 16
inter vs bodø/glimt ended with Bodø/Glimt beating Inter Milan 2-1 at the San Siro to advance 5-2 on aggregate and reach the Champions League last 16 for the first time, a result that has been called a historic moment for the club and Norwegian football.
San Siro scenes: how the 2-1 win unfolded
Under sustained pressure from Inter in the first half, Bodø/Glimt repelled numerous attacks before breaking through in the second half. Ole Didrik Blomberg seized on a loose pass on the edge of the Inter area and drove at goal; Yann Sommer pushed his shot away in the 58th minute but Jens Petter Hauge reacted quickest to convert the rebound from close range. Håkon Evjen then made it 2-0 in the 72nd minute, guiding a precise right-footed effort into the far bottom corner. Alessandro Bastoni pulled one back for Inter in the 77th minute, but the result stood and Bodø/Glimt won the match 2-1, sealing a 5-2 aggregate victory.
Inter Vs Bodø/glimt: key players and decisive contributions
Jens Petter Hauge finished the opener and provided the assist for Håkon Evjen's goal; the goal in Milan was Hauge's sixth in this Champions League campaign and he had returned to the San Siro where he previously spent two years on AC Milan's books. Ole Didrik Blomberg's intervention in the 58th minute and Yann Sommer's initial save were central to the goal sequence, while Bodø goalkeeper Nikita Haikin made several reflex saves across the tie that helped preserve the lead from the first leg. The first leg had left Bodø/Glimt with a 3-1 advantage, a cushion they kept to secure progression.
Kjetil Knutsen, players and the club's reaction
Manager Kjetil Knutsen described the result as a historical moment for Bodø and Norwegian football. Jens Petter Hauge said it "sounds not true" but celebrated that the team are now among the last teams in the competition and noted his anticipation for what the next two games will bring. The victory completed a home-and-away double over Cristian Chivu's Inter side across the two legs.
Why this is historic for Norwegian and European records
Bodø/Glimt are the first Norwegian side to progress in a knockout-stage tie in the Champions League, and the first Norwegian club to do so in the European Cup era since Lillestrom in the first round of 1987-88. They 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, the Ajax side that went on to win the European Cup that season. 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 competition. The run is even more extraordinary given Bodø/Glimt failed to win their first six league phase games and needed results against Manchester City and Atlético Madrid to reach the play-offs.
Inter's context and reaction in the aftermath
Reactions in Milan were sharp. Jurgen Klinsmann called the exit a "catastrophe" for the Serie A leaders. Coach Cristian Chivu said the results demonstrated Bodø/Glimt's competitiveness, noting they had shown it against Dortmund, Madrid and City as well as in both matches with Inter. Inter were missing key players Lautaro Martínez and Hakan Çalhanoğlu through injury for the tie. The club had reached last season's Champions League final but were crushed 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in that match; they also lost to AC Milan in the Italian Cup semifinals and finished runner-up to Napoli in Serie A. Simone Inzaghi was replaced by Chivu, whose only previous senior managerial post had been a few months at Parma. Inter's limited summer business — bringing in Ange-Yoan Bonny, Luis Henrique, Petar Sučić and Manuel Akanji — was noted alongside their domestic form: Inter sit 10 points clear at the top of Serie A and look close to the domestic title, even as they struggled in Europe, winning their first three continental matches before losing four to finish the league phase in 10th, one point off automatic advancement. Midfielder Nicolò Barella reflected that Bodø won both matches and deserved to go through; he said the most difficult thing was to score and they could not, and that with one more point in the group phase they would have avoided the playoff. Inter needed at least two goals on the night to overturn the first-leg deficit and pushed from the start, creating chances that were kept out by solid defending and by Nikita Haikin's reflexes.
Other last-16 outcomes: Atlético, Club Brugge and Bayer Leverkusen
Elsewhere in the play-offs, Atlético Madrid advanced after Alexander Sørloth scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 second-leg win over Club Brugge to complete a 7-4 aggregate victory. Brugge had drawn 3-3 in Belgium the previous week after coming back from two goals down and levelling in the 89th minute. In Madrid, Sørloth put Atlético ahead in the 23rd minute, Joel Ordóñez levelled 13 minutes later, Johnny Cardoso put Atlético 2-1 early in the second half, and Sørloth completed his hat-trick with goals in the final 15 minutes. Atlético will now face either Liverpool or Tottenham in the last 16. Bayer Leverkusen booked their place with a 0-0 draw against Olympiakos to win 2-0 on aggregate after Patrik Schick's double in the first leg; Leverkusen will face either Bayern Munich or Arsenal in the round of 16, with the draw set to take place on Friday.
