Norwegian Minnows Bodø/Glimt Stun Inter Milan to Reach Champions League Last Sixteen

2026-02-24 community

Milan, 24 February 2026
Bodø/Glimt have achieved the impossible, eliminating three-time European champions Inter Milan 5-2 on aggregate to become the first Norwegian side to reach the Champions League knockout stages since 1987. The Arctic Circle club, still in their off-season, secured a remarkable 2-1 victory at San Siro on Tuesday evening, with goals from Jens Petter Hauge and Håkon Evjen completing one of the competition’s greatest upsets. Inter, last season’s finalists and current Serie A leaders by ten points, were undone by a catastrophic error from Manchester City loanee Manuel Akanji that gifted Hauge the opening goal. This extraordinary triumph caps a debut Champions League campaign that has seen Bodø/Glimt defeat Manchester City and Atlético Madrid, transforming from 0.3% qualification chances to knockout stage reality.

A Tale of Two Halves at San Siro

The drama unfolded predictably in the first half, with Inter launching wave after wave of attacks as they desperately sought to overturn their 3-1 first-leg deficit [1]. The Italian giants peppered Bodø/Glimt’s goal with 30 total shots throughout the match compared to their opponents’ seven [7], controlling 71% of possession [7]. Goalkeeper Nikita Haikin proved instrumental in weathering the early storm, making two crucial saves by first tipping over Federico Dimarco’s curling strike before denying Davide Frattesi’s goal-bound effort [4]. Despite Inter’s territorial dominance, the Norwegian side’s resolute defending kept the scoreline level at half-time, setting the stage for a memorable second period.

The Decisive Moments That Changed Everything

The match’s turning point arrived in the 58th minute when Manuel Akanji, on loan from Manchester City, committed a catastrophic error that would define the tie [3][4]. The Swiss defender lost possession to Ole Didrik Blomberg, who charged into the penalty area before seeing his shot brilliantly saved by Yann Sommer, only for Jens Petter Hauge to volley home the rebound [4]. This goal marked Hauge’s sixth Champions League strike of the campaign, making him the Norwegian player with the most goals for a Norwegian club in a single edition of the competition [4]. The former AC Milan winger’s strike was particularly poignant, coming at the very stadium where he endured two difficult seasons from 2020 to 2022 [2][4]. Some Inter players visibly dropped to the floor after conceding, recognising how their already challenging task had become virtually impossible [4].

Evjen’s Masterpiece Seals Historic Victory

If Hauge’s opener stunned San Siro, Håkon Evjen’s fabulous goal in the 72nd minute completely crushed Inter’s hopes of a miraculous comeback [1][4][8]. The midfielder received a perfectly weighted ball from Hauge inside the penalty area, took a composed touch, and fired an excellent finish beyond Sommer to make the aggregate score 5-1 [4][8]. Alessandro Bastoni managed to pull one back for Inter just four minutes later with a scrambled effort to halve the deficit on the night [4][7][8], but the damage had already been done. The hosts, who had reached last season’s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain [4], found themselves with too much ground to make up as Bodø/Glimt held firm to secure their place in history.

From Arctic Circle to European Elite

This remarkable triumph represents far more than a single victory for Norwegian football, as Bodø/Glimt become the first side from their nation to progress from a Champions League knockout tie since Lillestrøm in the 1987-88 campaign [4][8]. The achievement becomes even more extraordinary considering the club had never won a Champions League match before 2026 but now boasts four consecutive victories in the competition [1]. Their previous scalps included a stunning 3-1 victory over Manchester City on 20 January 2026, followed by a 2-1 triumph against Atlético Madrid on 28 January [1]. The Norwegian Eliteserien concluded in late November 2025, meaning the Arctic Circle club has maintained match fitness during their off-season while producing these historic results [2][4]. Friday’s draw on 28 February 2026 will determine whether they face Manchester City or Sporting CP in the last sixteen [1][2][3], with the irony that they could meet the very City side they defeated earlier in the campaign after Pep Guardiola’s team had gone unbeaten in eight subsequent matches, winning seven [3].

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Champions League football upset