A starless Norwegian team on a shoestring budget made it to the last 16 of the world’s biggest club competition.
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Bodo/Glimt are progressing in the UEFA Champions League by defeating European giants Inter Milan. This is the latest chapter in a remarkable rise for the small club north of the Arctic Circle.
Ketil Knudsen’s side advanced to the last 16 on Tuesday in the biggest club competition on the planet thanks to two wins over last year’s runners-up. The team won 5-2, the best result in team history.
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The Arctic team has been the fairy tale of this season’s competition.
“This has been a journey. A large group of us are part of it. There are an incredible number of people behind this project who have such strong beliefs in this project,” Knudsen told TV2.
Knudsen, who has been in charge of Bodø/Glimt since 2018, added: “I think it’s a great night for the club, for the players, for the city and for Norwegian football.”
“We’re not talking about goals, we’re talking about how we can perform, how we can take steps and develop the players and the team. I think that’s very important right now.”
“We have our own way of doing things, and that’s very important.”
The latest victory was their fourth in a row in the Champions League, with Manchester City and Atlético Madrid also eliminated in their last two league games, with Bodo/Glimt qualifying for the final round play-offs.
Bodo/Glimt were only promoted to Norway’s top tier in 2017, which has been dominated by Trondheim’s Rosenborg for 30 years, but have since been national champions in four of the past six seasons.
Since then, they have gradually risen through the domestic and European ranks, reaching the last four of the Europa League last season and becoming the first Norwegian team to reach the semi-finals of a major European competition.
Their best result before this season was defeating Lazio on penalties in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, before losing to Tottenham Hotspur.
But now, the star-less team on a shoestring budget has moved to a whole new level, with either City or Sporting in Portugal awaiting them next month.
“Surreal and super cool.”
Bodo/Glimt were previously considered difficult opponents due to the artificial pitch and often frigid conditions of the 8,200-capacity Aspumila Stadium.
However, they added to their strong away performance with a solid defensive display on Tuesday, allowing Jens Petter Hauge and Haakon Evgen to deliver two powerful punches.
“Look at that amazing group. It was surreal and insanely cool, I don’t know what to say,” Evgen said after the game, with team captain Patrick Berg adding, “This was the biggest thing I’ve experienced in my career.”
It was a rude awakening for three-time champions Inter. His height and budget are smaller than the Norwegian and he is the favorite to win Serie A this season.
Paris Saint-Germain’s pastime may have marked their final European campaign, but Inter beat Bayern Munich and Barcelona in spectacular knockout ties to reach the final.
Inter had the advantage in the first half, but when Hauge took advantage of Manuel Akanji’s opportunity and inexplicably lost the ball in front of the area, the Italians had no way back.
“We know that the Champions League is very competitive, and for a team to reach this stage of the competition means they have something to offer,” Inter coach Cristian Chivu said.
“They showed it against Dortmund, against City in Madrid and against us twice.”
The defeat against Bodø/Glimt was also symbolic, after Norway defeated Italy twice in World Cup qualifiers.
Italy faces the prospect of no team making it to the last 16, with Juventus and Atalanta trailing Galatasaray and Borussia Dortmund. This was another blow to the reputation of a great old footballing nation that had fallen on hard times.
