Inter Vs Bodø/glimt: Norwegian minnows send Inter crashing out to reach Champions League last 16
In inter vs bodø/glimt, Bodø/Glimt beat Inter Milan 2-1 at the San Siro to complete a 5-2 aggregate victory and reach the Champions League last 16 for the first time — a result that eliminates last season’s finalists from the competition and extends the Norwegians’ remarkable run this season.
Inter Vs Bodø/glimt: a home-and-away double in Milan
Bodø/Glimt repelled sustained Inter pressure in the first half before taking control after the break. Ole Didrik Blomberg seized on a loose pass on the edge of the Inter area and drove at goal; Yann Sommer pushed the shot away but Jens Petter Hauge reacted quickest to convert the rebound from close range in the 58th minute. Håkon Evjen sealed the tie in the 72nd minute with a precise right-footed finish into the far bottom corner. Alessandro Bastoni pulled one back for Inter in the 77th minute, but the 2-1 victory on the night completed a home-and-away double over Cristian Chivu's side and left Bodø/Glimt 5-2 winners on aggregate.
Historic qualification and individual milestones
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 the first round in 1987-88. Jens Petter Hauge has scored six goals for Bodø/Glimt in this Champions League campaign — the most ever by a Norwegian player for a Norwegian club in a single edition. The club have now beaten Manchester City and Atlético Madrid in the group phase and drew with Borussia Dortmund, becoming 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.
Reactions from managers and players
Manager Kjetil Knutsen called the achievement "a historical moment for Bodø 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, said, "It sounds not true, but we are there, among the last teams in the competition, " and added that "it will be really exciting to see what the next two games bring. " Inter coach Cristian Chivu conceded the visitors had "proved that" they belong at this stage, saying they had shown it against Dortmund, Madrid, City and Inter twice. Jurgen Klinsmann described Inter’s exit as a "catastrophe" for the Serie A leaders. Midfielder Nicolò Barella acknowledged the result, saying, "Bodo won both the matches, so they deserved to go through, " and noted that scoring was the problem for Inter on the night.
Injuries, goalkeeping and season context
Inter were without Lautaro Martínez and Hakan Çalhanoglu due to injury. Bodø goalkeeper Nikita Haikin produced reflex saves and solid defending that frustrated Inter’s attacking attempts. The result compounds a difficult European season for Inter: last season they reached the Champions League final but were beaten 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain, and this campaign they started strongly by winning their first three matches before losing four on the bounce to finish the league phase in 10th, one point off automatic advancement to the round of 16. At club level this season Inter brought in Ange-Yoan Bonny, Luis Henrique, Petar Sučić and Manuel Akanji, and Simone Inzaghi was replaced by Chivu, whose only previous senior managerial position had been a few months in charge at Parma. Domestically, Inter sit 10 points clear at the top of Serie A and appear to be closing in on the domestic title, even as they have struggled in the Champions League.
How Bodø/Glimt reached this point
Bodø/Glimt, a team based around 70 miles into the Arctic Circle whose home games can often be played in harsh wintry conditions, staged a dramatic recovery in Europe after failing to win their first six league phase games and being left needing results against Manchester City and Atlético Madrid to qualify for the play-offs. They delivered those results and then completed the shock against Inter with a resolute, determined display in Milan.
Other ties and what’s next
Elsewhere in the playoff round, Atlético Madrid beat Club Brugge 4-1 in the second leg to complete a 7-4 aggregate victory as Alexander Sørloth scored a hat-trick, and Atlético will now face either Liverpool or Tottenham in the last 16. Bayer Leverkusen secured a 0-0 draw with Olympiakos and progressed 2-0 on aggregate after Patrik Schick had scored a double in the first leg; Leverkusen will face either Bayern Munich or Arsenal in the round of 16. The draw for the next stage will take place on Friday.
With their place in the last 16 confirmed, Bodø/Glimt will discover their next opponent when the draw is held; the club could face either Manchester City or Sporting in the last 16. Officials and players have said recovery and preparation are next, and the club will now turn attention to those confirmed fixtures.
