Bodo Glimt: 'Historical moment' as bodo glimt reach last 16
bodo glimt completed one of the competition's most remarkable upsets on Feb 24, 2026, beating Inter Milan 2-1 in Milan to seal a 5-2 aggregate win in the Champions League playoff and reach the last 16 for the first time. The Norwegian club's run follows victories over Manchester City and Atlético Madrid in the league phase and capped a two-legged tie in which they had carried a 3-1 first-leg lead into the San Siro.
Bodo Glimt complete upset in Milan
The match in Milan saw Inter press in the first half but struggle to create real openings. The visitors repelled numerous early Inter attacks and then struck in the second half. In the 58th minute Ole Didrik Blomberg forced Manuel Akanji into a mistake, won the ball and unleashed a shot that Yann Sommer could only palm; Jens Petter Hauge was on hand to calmly prodded home the rebound for the opener, his sixth goal in this Champions League season. Hauge's contribution would not end there: he later curled a cross into the path of Håkon Evjen for the visitors' second.
Key goals and match moments
Evjen's finish followed a passing move that began in Bodo Glimt's own half and carved open Inter; Evjen took one touch with his left before slamming the ball home with his right in the 72nd minute. Alessandro Bastoni pulled a goal back for Inter, but by then the Norwegians had done the damage, leaving the tie 5-2 on aggregate. Around 3, 000 traveling fans celebrated the result inside the San Siro.
Reactions from coaches and players
Manager Kjetil Knutsen called the achievement "a historical moment for Bodo and I think also for Norwegian football. " Jens Petter Hauge said: "It sounds not true, but we are there, among the last teams in the competition, " adding that it will be "really exciting to see what the next two games bring. " Håkon Evjen described the night as surreal, saying: "We have done something crazy. It is surreal. It was an incredible experience and a game where we beat them fair and square – mentally, physically and everything else there is. "
Inter response and analysis
Inter's head coach Cristian Chivu stood chatting with Knutsen after the final whistle and appeared bemused by the result. Midfielder Nicolò Barella said: "We didn’t really manage to challenge them tonight. The hardest thing was to create an opening. We didn’t manage to and congratulations to Bodø/Glimt – they won both games and deserved to go through. " Another Inter voice added: "We're disappointed. We want to go as far as possible in every competition. We tried, but they were better than us. " A former top-level manager was blunt, saying he saw an Inter side that lacked speed and the ability to dribble past opponents.
Historic context and records
The tiny club, based around 70 miles into the Arctic Circle, became the first Norwegian side to progress in a Champions League knockout tie and the first overall Norwegian club to do so in European Cup competition since Lillestrom in 1987-88. Bodo Glimt are also the first team from outside Europe's top five leagues to win four consecutive games in a European Cup/Champions League campaign against opponents from those leagues since Ajax in 1971-72. 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.
Their run has been remarkable given that Bodo Glimt failed to win any of their first six league phase games, leaving them needing results against Manchester City and Atlético Madrid to qualify for the play-offs; those wins propelled the club into the knockout rounds. The club's rapid rise follows domestic success in 2020, a Conference League quarter-final appearance in 2021-22 and a Europa League semi-final place last season. Observers noted that Norway's domestic season does not start until next month, making the achievement in Europe more striking.
Looking ahead, Bodo Glimt will face either Manchester City or Sporting in the Champions League last 16. The San Siro night will be remembered both for the on-field sequence—Blomberg's pressure on Akanji, Sommer's save and Hauge's rebound finish, then the incisive passing that set up Evjen—and for the wider significance of a Norwegian club from the Arctic Circle completing a 5-2 aggregate victory over last season's beaten finalist.
It is unclear in the provided context whether any injuries or medical updates arose from the match.
Knutsen added elsewhere: "Can you believe it? A team from a small town up north. It's unbelievable. "
One Norwegian headline after the game read: "Glimt claim historic scalp – 'This ends any discussion'. " Commentator Lars Tjærnås called it "the biggest result from a Norwegian club side of all time. "
The club's fairytale run continues, and the victory at the San Siro on Feb 24, 2026, will stand as a turning point in their debut Champions League campaign.
