“It’s hard to understand it all”
©IMAGO
For Italy’s “La Gazzetta dello Sport”, the town of around 50,000 inhabitants north of the Arctic Circle is simply “hell”, which freezes over at minus six degrees. Norway’s “Verdens Gang” asked readers: “Can FK Bodø/Glimt reach the final of the Champions League?”
The four-time Norwegian champion – most recently in 2024 – left the next top European club in despair on Wednesday evening. Inter Milan, finalists of last season’s Champions League, lost 3-1 in the first leg of the playoff at the Aspmyra Stadium, which soon had artificial turf and space for just under 8,000 spectators.
Particularly impressive: The Norwegian Eliteserien has been in season break since the end of November. Bodø/Glimt, which narrowly missed out on the championship behind Viking FK after four titles in a row last year, has been flying high ever since. Previously, the team only got two points from five premier class duels.
The underdog’s recent record in the European premier class: 2:2 at Borussia Dortmund, 3:1 against Manchester City in Bodø, 2:1 at Atlético Madrid and now the victory against the team from the Olympic city, which in the worst case scenario remains the motto: Being there is everything. “An attitude problem? I don’t think so,” said Inter goalscorer Pio Esposito. “Bodø is a strong team, even if it doesn’t have a big name yet.” Not yet.
Bodø/Glimt doesn’t just want to defend in the second leg
After the hosts’ lead goal by Sondre Brunstad Fet after a wonderful backheel assist from captain Kasper Høgh in the 20th minute, Esposito equalized ten minutes later. But then around 180 seconds turned the small stadium into the scene of a big victory: First, ex-Frankfurt player Jens Petter Hauge scored to make it 2-1 in the 61st minute, then Høgh (64th) made it 3-1.
“I’m so grateful to have been able to experience this,” said Høgh, who was named Man of the Match and has scored in every Champions League game so far this year. “It’s hard to understand all of this. We’re living in the moment,” said Fet, who even surprised his teammates with his baby celebration after his goal. “I had to ask: Is that true?” explained defender Odin Bjørtuft. “I got the answer: Yes, yes, yes. It was about other things for a moment, I immediately congratulated.”
In the European Cup, Bodø/Glimt can rely primarily on home strength in the small Aspmyra Stadium, where workers had to remove tons of snow from the artificial turf pitch before the duel with Inter. This and last season, they achieved twelve wins in 17 games in front of their home crowd, and the Norwegians only left the pitch as losers four times. This happened twice as often abroad, with just four away wins in 16 games.
“This is an excellent starting point. But we know from the Europa League how difficult it is away from home in Europe,” warned coach Kjetil Knutsen. Bodø/Glimt had already surprised in the second most important European Cup last season and made it to the semi-finals – the first Norwegian team to do so. There it was over against Tottenham (1:3/0:2), who had to be content with a 2:2 in the premier class in Norway this season.
“We shouldn’t think that we have to defend anything,” said Knutsen, who even saw his team’s “average performance.” “I think we were a little bit lucky today. We were very effective.” In order to become the first team from Norway to survive a knockout round in the Champions League, his protégés have to go one step further. If they reach the round of 16, there could be a reunion with Man City or a duel with Sporting Lisbon.
What does all this have to do with record Olympian Klaebo?
But before that, the second leg takes place next Tuesday (9 p.m.) in the Olympic opening stadium in the Italian fashion metropolis. “I’m really looking forward to traveling to Milan soon,” said goalscorer Fet to Norwegian radio “NRK” with a broad smile. It was pointed out to him that he could have been in Milan by now if he had chosen a different career. He was considered a great cross-country skiing talent.
And coach Knutsen said, referring to Norway’s gold collector and cross-country skiing giant Johannes Klaebo: “I suspect Klaebo is glad that Fet didn’t become a cross-country skier, because then he wouldn’t be a historic Winter Olympian.” At Inter they may see things differently.