After the sensation against Inter: Bodö/Glimt dreams of a big coup

This season, Bodö not only beat Austrian champions Sturm Graz 5-0 on artificial turf in their own Aspmyra Stadium, which has a capacity of only 8,000 spectators. In the main competition of the premier class there were also successes against Tottenham and in Dortmund (2:2 each). The Norwegians secured promotion, only returning to league play in March, then in January with an acclaimed 3-1 home win against Manchester City and a 2:1 Atletico Madrid.

The coup against Inter was the third in a row against a European heavyweight for the ensemble, which consisted almost entirely of Norwegian players. “We didn’t play a top game,” emphasized Knutsen. “We were too imprecise on the ball, a little imprecise with our identity.” They scored fantastic goals. “But I believe that we have more in us than what we have shown.” This will have to be shown in Milan on Tuesday, two days after the end of the Olympic Games, in order to sensationally advance to the round of 16.

“I’m really looking forward to traveling to Milan soon,” Bodö’s first-leg scorer Sondre Brunstad Fet told the Norwegian broadcaster NRK. The 29-year-old was once considered a great cross-country skiing talent and could have pursued a different career. Coach Knutsen said with regard to Norway’s cross-country skiing star and Olympic golden hamster Johannes Hösflot Kläbo: “I suspect Kläbo is glad that he didn’t become a cross-country skier, because then he wouldn’t be a historic Winter Olympian.”

Above all, Inter wants to avoid a historic embarrassment in the second leg. Described as “hell”. Gazzetta dello Sport the 50,000-inhabitant town of Bodö north of the Arctic Circle. “We tried everything despite the pitch and the cold, I can’t blame them much for their attitude,” Inter coach Cristian Chivu defended his players. The artificial turf is no excuse. “But everything is still open, there is still the second leg.”

In the domestic championship, Inter is clearly on course for the title with a seven point lead over city rivals AC Milan. In the coming weeks, the runner-up could have to make do without their captain and top scorer Lautaro Martinez. The Argentine was substituted in Norway due to a calf injury. “We’re going to miss him for a while,” Chivu said. The eagerly awaited league derby against Milan will take place in two and a half weeks.