Inter Vs Bodø/glimt — inter vs bodø/glimt: 'Historical moment' as Bodo/Glimt reach last 16
The Champions League tie labelled inter vs bodø/glimt ended with the Norwegian side prevailing 2-1 in Milan and 5-2 on aggregate, sending last season’s finalists Inter Milan out and advancing Bodo/Glimt to the last 16 for the first time. The win completes a home-and-away double and caps a run that included victories over Manchester City and Atlético Madrid in the league phase.
Inter Vs Bodø/glimt in Milan
Bodø/Glimt won 2-1 at the San Siro to seal a 5-2 aggregate success. Under sustained pressure from Inter, Ole Didrik Blomberg seized on a loose pass on the edge of the Inter area in the 58th minute and drove at goal; Yann Sommer pushed the shot away but Jens Petter Hauge reacted quickest to convert the rebound from close range. Håkon Evjen then put the result beyond doubt in the 72nd minute with a precise right-footed effort into the far bottom corner. Alessandro Bastoni pulled a goal back for Inter in the 77th minute, but it proved too late to alter the tie. Bodo had held a 3-1 lead from the first leg and repelled numerous first-half Inter attacks in Milan, with goalkeeper Nikita Haikin producing great reflexes to keep Inter at bay. Inter had needed at least two goals on Tuesday to advance after losing the first leg 3-1.
Bodo's Arctic ascent
Bodo/Glimt, a Norwegian team based around 70 miles into the Arctic Circle, have built a reputation for upsets. They beat Manchester City and Atlético Madrid in the league phase, and registered a draw against Borussia Dortmund. Their fairytale run to the knockouts came after they failed to win their first six league phase games, leaving them needing results against Manchester City and Atlético Madrid to qualify for the play-offs. Their home matches can often be played in harsh wintry conditions.
Milestones and records
This progression makes Bodo/Glimt 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. 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; Ajax went on to win the European Cup that season. Jens Petter Hauge has scored six goals for Bodo/Glimt in this Champions League campaign, the most ever by a Norwegian player for a Norwegian club in a single edition of the competition.
Reactions from coaches and players
Bodo boss Kjetil Knutsen said: "It is a historical moment for Bodo and I think also for Norwegian football. " Jens Petter Hauge, back in the San Siro where he had a two-year spell at AC Milan, reflected: "It sounds not true, but we are there, among the last teams in the competition. It will be really exciting to see what the next two games bring. " Inter coach Cristian Chivu defended his side’s effort and praised the visitors, saying they had proved they belonged and listing how they had shown it against Dortmund, against Madrid, against City and against Inter twice; Chivu added that Inter could have done better in Norway and in Milan. Jurgen Klinsmann labelled Inter’s exit at the hands of Bodø/Glimt a "catastrophe" for the Serie A leaders. Inter midfielder Nicolò Barella acknowledged the result, saying Bodo won both matches and deserved to go through, that scoring was their biggest difficulty and that with one more point Inter would have avoided the playoff.
Wider knockout outcomes
Other knockout ties saw Atlético Madrid advance after Alexander Sørloth’s hat-trick helped Atlético beat Club Brugge 4-1 in the second leg and complete a 7-4 aggregate victory. Sørloth fired Atlético in front 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 face either Liverpool or Tottenham in the last 16. Bayer Leverkusen earned a 0-0 draw with Olympiakos to book their last-16 spot with a 2-0 aggregate triumph after Patrik Schick’s double in the first leg in Greece; Leverkusen will face either Bayern Munich or Arsenal next month, with the draw to take place on Friday.
Inter's season and squad context
Inter’s struggles in Europe occurred amid domestic strength and recent turbulence. Last season they reached the Champions League final but were crushed 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain, lost to AC Milan in the Italian Cup semifinals and finished runner-up to Napoli in Serie A. Simone Inzaghi was replaced by Cristian Chivu, whose only previous senior managerial position had been a few months at Parma. Inter made limited signings, bringing in Ange-Yoan Bonny, Luis Henrique, Petar Sučić and Manuel Akanji, and this season sit 10 points clear at the top of Serie A and appear to be closing in on the domestic title. In the Champions League they won their first three matches but then lost four on the bounce to finish the league phase in 10th, one point off automatic advancement.
Inter were without stars Lautaro Martínez and Hakan Çalhanoglu through injury for the playoff tie, and while Inter pushed from the start and created chances, solid defending and Haikin’s saves proved decisive.
Bodo/Glimt’s win sends them into the Champions League last 16 for the first time; they will now face either Manchester City or Sporting, and the club and its players describe the progression as a historic moment for the team and Norwegian football.
