Bodø/Glimt’s fairytale rise was already a Cinderella story, but that story reached new heights on February 24th as the Norwegian minnows stunned runaway Serie A league leaders Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League knockout playoff round.
The Nerazzurri are sitting ten points clear at the summit of Italian football and are an odds-on favorite to reclaim the Scudetto this term. Not only that, but they have featured in two of the last three Champions League finals, proving their pedigree on the continental stage.
Glimt, by contrast, had never played in the UCL until this season, but they wouldn’t let their 5/1 underdog tag weigh them down. Kjetil Knutsen’s men picked up a stunning 3-1 win in the first leg in the Arctic Circle, but the best was yet to come on Inter’s home patch of the iconic San Siro.
The Nerazzurri were huge favorites to overturn the two-goal deficit and progress, but after they failed to breach the staunch Superlaget back line, it was the visitors who took charge. Second-half goals from Jens Petter Hauge and Håkon Evjen completed a 2-1 win on the night and a 5-2 victory on aggregate, securing their spot as Norway’s first UCL round of 16 participant in 29 years.
Online betting sites still aren’t big on Glimt’s hopes. The latest odds from the popular Lucky Rebel Sportsbook list the Norwegians as 80/1 outsiders to leave Budapest with the trophy in May, below the likes of Sporting CP and Tottenham Hotspur. But after this stunning upset of Inter Milan, they are now the team that nobody wants to face in the round of 16.
Beating the Nerazzurri across two legs is by far and away Glimt’s biggest ever scalp. But Inter aren’t the first team to be stunned by the Norwegians in recent years. Let’s take a look at every European heavyweight they have beaten in their meteoric rise.
Roma
Glimt’s first major scalp came in their maiden European campaign back in 2021/22, the inaugural season of the Conference League. Jose Mourinho’s Roma headed to the Arctic Circle as huge favorites to secure all three points. Instead, the Special One was in for a rude awakening as braces from Erik Botheim and Ola Solbakken, as well as strikes from Patrick Berg and Amahl Pellegrino, completed a lopsided 6-1 dismantling.
The Giallorossi would have their revenge, though. The two sides met once again in the quarterfinals, with Mourinho’s men triumphing over two legs before going on to lift the trophy in Tirana.
Celtic
Scottish giants Celtic are former European champions themselves and are no strangers to upsets of their own. However, when they came up against Glimt in the knockout playoff round of that same 2021/22 Conference League campaign, it was the Bhoys who were the heavy favorites. Instead, they too were about to be humbled.
The Superlaget won the first leg in Glasgow by three goals to one. Unsatisfied with that, they would pick up a 2-0 victory on home turf in the second leg, securing a 5-1 aggregate win.
Beşiktaş
Two years later, Glimt were once again in the Conference League and met Turkish heavyweights Beşiktaş in the league phase. Once more, it was the Istanbul club who were favored, but it was the Norwegians who stole the show.
They won 3-1 at home and 2-1 away, wins that secured their spot in the knockout round. The two teams would meet once again in the following season’s Europa League, and once more it was the Superlaget who came out on top, triumphing 2-1 at home to take their record to a perfect three wins from three against the 16-time Turkish champions.
FC Porto
Liga Portugal pacesetters FC Porto are often there or thereabouts when it comes to the latter stages of European competitions. They headed to the Arctic to face Glimt in the opening game of the 2024/25 Europa League, but the Dragons would also fall victim to the mighty minnows. Samu Aghehowa gave the visitors an early lead, but goals from Kasper Høgh and a Jens Petter Hauge brace sealed the victory for the hosts.
Lazio
Italian heavyweights Lazio thought they had one foot in the Europa League semifinals last season when they were drawn opposite the Norwegian side in the quarters. Unfortunately for them, they too found out that the Superlaget would take some beating. After a 2-0 victory in the first leg in Northern Norway, the Eagles had work to do if they were to overturn the two-goal deficit on home turf in the second leg at the Stadio Olimpico.
Goals from Taty Castellanos and a last-gasp strike from Tijjani Noslin forced extra time. There, Boulaye Dia would score Lazio’s third on the night and give them a 3-2 aggregate lead. But this Glimt side, as we have already found out, is made of stern stuff.
Andreas Helmersen struck with just 10 minutes of extra time remaining to force a penalty shootout before Glimt goalkeeper Nikita Haikin became the hero, saving Castellanos’ spot kick to secure his side a semifinal berth.
Manchester City
With just two games remaining of this season’s Champions League initial league phase, Glimt looked dead and buried. They hadn’t won any of their opening six games, and with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City next up, further misery was expected. Instead, the Superlaget delivered their greatest upset yet.
Høgh and Hauge—who else—netted three goals between them to hand the Norwegians a stunning 3-0 lead by the 58th minute. Rayan Cherki would pull a goal back on the hour mark, but the Blues would ultimately succumb to a 3-1 defeat.
Atletico Madrid
That victory meant that Knutsen’s men had to beat Atletico Madrid away from home to progress to the knockout stages.
The bookies duly positioned them as 10/1 outsiders to spring the shock, but in true Glimt fashion, they would upset the odds once again. Atleti’s Norwegian striker Alexander Sørloth would give the hosts the lead, but goals from Fredrik Sjøvold and Høgh—again—completed the 2-1 comeback and secured Glimt’s spot in the knockout round.
