Bodø/Glimt stun Inter Milan to reach UCL last 16

Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt produced the greatest result in their history on Tuesday night, defeating Inter Milan 2–1 at the San Siro to book their place in the Champions League Round of 16 with a commanding 5–2 aggregate victory.

Leading 3-1 from last week’s first leg in the Arctic Circle, goals in the second half from Jens Petter Hauge and Hakon Evjen stunned the San Siro and set up a tie with either Manchester City or Sporting CP in the next round.

The first half was tight, with Inter controlling possession but struggling to break down Bodø/Glimt’s disciplined defense.

The away side stunned the hosts when they took the lead just before the hour mark through Jens Petter Hauge. Ole Didrik Blomberg burst into the box after a loose ball from a miscontrolled pass by Inter’s defender. His initial shot was saved by Yann Sommer, but Petter Hauge was perfectly positioned to react quickly and tap in the rebound.

Bodø/Glimt saw their second come in the 72nd minute after winning the ball in midfield, the visitors executed a rapid sequence of short passes that drew Inter’s defenders out of position. Håkon Evjen made a clever diagonal run into space, received the ball in stride, and fired a precise shot into the far corner, leaving Sommer with no chance.

Inter responded a few minutes later Alessandro Bastoni but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome of the game as the away side held out their lead.

The win marked history for Bodø/Glimt who became the first Norwegian club to ever win a Champions League knockout tie. Before this achievement, no team from Norway had managed to progress past the play-off or knockout stages in the modern Champions League era.

Speaking to TNT Sports following the game, Bodø/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen spoke on his players’ performance with enormous pride.

“Can you believe it? A team from a small town up north, it’s unbelievable. Today was a special game," he said.

“I don’t think we were good in the first half but we defended well. We didn’t have three passes between the team and there were big problems but we were better in the second half.

“When we scored the amazing second goal we controlled the game. Sometimes in Europe you need to do a detailed job and that’s what we did today. The players are amazing, they took steps, they believed and worked hard.

“I’m so proud.”