Bodo Glimt stun Inter in 'historical moment' to reach last 16
bodo glimt completed one of the competition's biggest shocks with a 2-1 win at the San Siro, sealing a 5-2 aggregate victory that takes them into the Champions League last 16 for the first time.
Match at the San Siro
The Norwegian side, based around 70 miles into the Arctic Circle, went into the second leg in Milan holding a 3-1 lead from the first leg. They repelled numerous first-half Inter attacks and then struck twice in the second half to win 2-1 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate.
Bodo Glimt Champions League run
Bodo/Glimt had already beaten Manchester City and Atlético Madrid in the group phase and then overcame Inter Milan in the knockout play-off round. Their progression marks the club's first place in the Champions League last 16, where they will face either Manchester City or Sporting.
Key moments and goals
After 58 minutes Ole Didrik Blomberg pressured Manuel Akanji into a mistake, nicked the ball and stung Yann Sommer’s palms with a fierce drive. Jens Petter Hauge, formerly of Milan, calmly prodded home the rebound for the opener; that strike was Hauge's sixth goal in this Champions League season.
The second goal began with Bodo/Glimt winning the ball in their own half and carving open Inter with a passing move that ended with Hauge curling a cross into the path of Håkon Evjen. Evjen took one touch with his left foot before slamming the ball past Sommer with his right.
Reactions and quotes
Boss Kjetil Knutsen said: "It is a historical moment for Bodo and I think also for Norwegian football. " Jens Petter Hauge added: "It sounds not true, but we are there, among the last teams in the competition, " and he was noted as being back in the San Siro where he had a two-year spell at AC Milan. Håkon Evjen described the night as surreal and said: "We have done something crazy. It was an incredible experience and a game where we beat them fair and square – mentally, physically and everything else there is. It is difficult to describe what we have done. "
Inter’s Nicolò Barella admitted: "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. " After the final whistle the head coaches, Kjetil Knutsen and Cristian Chivu, were seen chatting on the pitch; Chivu appeared interested and smiled politely but looked utterly bemused.
One well-known former manager said: "I saw an Inter that was way too slow in all of their passing. Completely without speed. They tried to create openings centrally but did not manage it. What really struck me was that no Inter player managed to dribble past their opponent. " An Italian paper ran the headline "No Excuses", adding: "Embarrassment for Inter with the team predictable and not very dangerous. " In Norway, a headline read: "Glimt claim historic scalp – 'This ends any discussion'. " Commentator Lars Tjærnås said: "For me this is the biggest result from a Norwegian club side of all time. There is no point discussing it, this is the biggest. "
Significance and records
Bodo/Glimt are the first Norwegian side to progress in a knockout-stage tie in the Champions League and the first club from Norway to do so 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 those leagues (England, Spain, Germany, Italy & France) since Ajax in 1971-72, who 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 European Cup/Champions League. Observers also noted that Bodo/Glimt's home games can often be played in harsh wintry conditions and that Norway's domestic season does not start until next month; despite that, the team adapted to surroundings and delivered at the highest level.
Their recent European form included failing to win any of their first six league stage matches, then famously beating Manchester City at home last month and Atlético Madrid away to sneak into the playoffs. Inter came into the tie top of Serie A by 10 points and undefeated in the league since 23 November, and had been three-time winners of the competition, having been beaten by Paris St-Germain in the final of this competition just over nine months ago.
Archive: Football in the Arctic - the incredible rise of Bodo/Glimt (from May 2025).
Sequence of events on the night, key reactions and the records above together underline why Knutsen called the result a "historical moment" and why players and commentators described the victory as "crazy" and surreal.
Closing: Bodo/Glimt's 2-1 win in Milan on Feb 24, 2026 completed a 5-2 aggregate triumph and advanced the Norwegian side into the Champions League last 16 for the first time, a result accompanied by major national and international reaction.
