Bodo/Glimt have stunned Europe by eliminating giants Inter Milan to reach the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, a milestone that marks the greatest achievement in the club’s history. The tiny Norwegian team, managed by Kjetil Knutsen, secured a 5-2 aggregate victory over last year’s runners-up, continuing their remarkable run from the Arctic Circle to the global football spotlight.
Knutsen reflected on thqe achievement. “It has been a journey. There is a large group of us who have been part of it. There are unbelievably many people behind this who have such strong belief in the project,” he said.
“I think it’s an amazing evening for the club, for the players, for the town and also for Norwegian football,” he added. “We are not talking about goals, we are talking about how to perform and how we can take steps and develop the players and the team. Now I think that’s extremely important. We have our way to do it, and that’s really important.”
The victory marks Bodo/Glimt’s fourth consecutive win in the Champions League, following strong performances against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in the league phase, which earned them a knockout stage berth. Despite having no star players and operating on a tiny budget, the team now faces either Manchester City or Sporting of Portugal in the next round.
Bodo/Glimt’s rise has been meteoric. Promoted to Norway’s top tier only in 2017, the club has won four of the last six league titles and reached the Europa League semifinals last season, becoming the first Norwegian side to do so in a major European competition.
On Tuesday, the Norwegians combined disciplined defense with decisive attacking moments. Jens Petter Hauge and Hakon Evjen delivered two crucial goals after Manuel Akanji’s uncharacteristic error. “Look at that amazing group. It’s surreal and insanely cool, I don’t know what to say,” said Evjen after the match. Team captain Patrick Berg added, “It’s the biggest thing I’ve experienced in the course of my career.”
Inter Milan, a club whose resources and reputation far surpass Bodo/Glimt, were left shell-shocked. Despite dominating the first half, they could not recover once Hauge opened the scoring. Inter coach Cristian Chivu acknowledged the Norwegians’ quality: “We know that the Champions League is very competitive; if a team reaches this stage of the competition, that means that they are offering something. They showed that in Dortmund, Madrid, against City and twice against us.”
The defeat also represents a symbolic setback for Italian football. Norway’s national team has recently bested Italy in World Cup qualifying, and with Juventus and Atalanta trailing in Europe, Italy risks having no club in the Champions League last 16 a further blow to the stature of a once-dominant footballing nation.
Erizia Rubyjeana
Follow us on:
