When the final whistle blew at Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon after 120 minutes of football, the away fans were crest fallen as Bodø/Glimt suffered from the one of the finest comeback in Champions League history which ended their incredible fairytale story. Looked to be continuing their journey to quarterfinal after taking a healthy 3-0 lead at home in the Round of 16 tie against Sporting CP, the Norwegian side lost it completely in the reverse leg but they won millions of hearts through their unforgettable achievement in reaching this stage of the competition. As far as the underdog team goes, Bodø/Glimt might have created the most notable performances of all.
The team captivated the footballing world with their giant killing antics in the Champions League and the style of flashy football they brought to the table. Some of the biggest names in the competition, even former winners, were stunned by this side defied all odds in pulling out those huge results. Bodø/Glimt's already earned a reputation by registering shocking results, especially on their home turf, in other European competitions including the famous 6-1 victory against Jose Mourinho's Roma in the Conference League in 2021 and reaching the Europa League semifinal last season among others. However, they took their giant killing task to the next level in Europe's premier club competition.
Here are the records set by Bodo Glimt in the Champions League this season:
The Northernmost Team in the contest
Bodø/Glimt's journey this season is defined by a series of unprecedented achievements for a club of their stature. The Norwegian side has rewritten the record books of the UEFA Champions League and it all came in their debut season. The side began in the final round of qualifiers to get into the main competition with Austrian side Sturm Graz being in their way. Bodø made light work of their opponents at home, demolishing them 5-0 with the 2-1 away defeat in the reverse leg not enough to prevent the exciting outfit to reach the group stages of the Champions League.
In doing so, they became only the third club from Norway to play the competition proper and the northernmost team to ever qualify for the group stages. However, Bodø were not contained in just making the numbers in the competition. They went deeper into the contest, something fellow debutants Kairat Almaty or first time knockout seekers Qarabag FK failed to do in the same season. That makes Bodø a special underdog side and their achievements of becoming only the second Norwegian team to reach the Round of 16 unique in every sense.
It will take time to grasp for most onlookers of the team's incredible show on the topmost level in European competitions that Bodø achieved all of this with a squad value of just $65 million. Some of the teams they faced had players with market value more than their entire squad. They battled it out like a unit and hardly made any changes to their winning rhythm with Bodo Glimt equalling the Champions League record for most consecutive games played with the same starting XI with five. AJ Auxerre was the last team to do so in 2002-03. All of these make their achievements all the more incredible.
First against English opponents
Even though Bodø did not pick up a win straightway, their start was promising as they drew 2-2 with Slavia Prague in their debut game and played the same result against Premier League side Tottenham in their first home game of the competition. The results dipped from there with three straight losses to Galatasaray, Monaco and Juventus but except against the former, the defeats weren't heavy and the side showed a lot of promise. However, to stay in the mix for knockout qualification Bodø needed no less than victories against Manchester City at home and Atletico Madrid away in the final two League Phase games.
For any other side, those fixtures could have ended their journey in the competition but not for the yellow shirts as they did the unthinkable. Guardiola's City was the first to fall with the Premier League giants stunned by a quick-fire brace in the first half from Kasper Hogh within just two minutes and then Jens Petter Hauge killing off the tie eight minutes after the break. The eventual 3-1 victory for the side was even stunning after knowing this was their first victory against any English team in European competitions in seven meetings. They avoided defeat in such fixtures which was the 2-2 draw against Tottenham earlier. This was a remarkable performance of the highest order but they were only getting started.
First Norwegian Knockout Victory
Bodø created another shock when they traveled to Madrid and beat Atletico 2-1 coming from behind which helped them secure one of the knockout spots in the League Phase by finishing 23rd in the 36-team table. Another milestone achievement considering it is a rare feat for a Norwegian team to go beyond the first stage of the competition. However, the real upset was yet to be played out after Bodø were paired with last edition's finalists Inter Milan in the knockout playoffs.
The 2010 winners reached the Champions League final twice in the last four years but it did not ruffle the feathers of the Arctic battlers who were ready to unfold another huge result at home. The Nerazzuri were stunned as Bodø did their trick again, slewing another heavyweights of the competition. The 3-1 victory at home was followed by an unbelievable 2-1 reverse leg win at San Siro when Inter was threatening to make a comeback.
Following their stunning 5–2 aggregate victory over Inter, Bodø/Glimt became the first Norwegian club in history to win a knockout phase match in the Champions League. They are also the first side from their nation to qualify from a two-legged knockout tie in the Champions League since Lillestrom beat Linfield in 1987/88 in the first round stage back then. Not only that, the Norwegian side became the first team to win both legs against Inter Milan in the knockout stages of the Champions League since Schalke 04 in the quarter-finals back in 2010/11.
Schalke's achievement was understandable as they were German giants with European experience back then while Bodø/Glimt is just a newbie, telling everything about the side. Their magnitude of success is defined by the fact that until last season last year, no Norwegian club had ever knocked out an Italian team over two legs. However in the past 12 months, Bodø/Glimt have done it twice, first stunning Lazio in the Europa League quarterfinal last season and now Inter in Europe's premier competition.
Giant-Killing Streak and Fortress
Having stunned three European juggernauts on their way, Bodø/Glimt deserved the ultimate giant killing tag in the Champions League. Even the better equipped teams struggle to do what the Norwegian outfit managed to do and it is also a rare sight in the Champions League to see an underdog registering back-to-back wins against a team miles above their value let alone creating a streak. Yet, Bodø did the unthinkable as they became only the fourth team from outside Europe’s "Big Five" leagues to win four consecutive matches in a single Champions League campaign against teams from those top divisions. They are the first team to do so since Ajax in the 1971/72 season.
The side extended their wonder-tale by securing a 3-0 first leg Round of 16 victory against Sporting CP in another dominant home performance. It was their third straight victory at home in the competition where they have avoided defeat in four of the six past European games played. They had made Aspmyra Stadion their fortress which aided them pulling off those unthinkable results with teams struggling in the astro turf, climate and the powerful atmosphere created by the fans. Bodø/Glimt are also only the fifth team outside of Europe's top five leagues to win five straight games in Champions League history.
Individual Scoring Record
Although Bodø/Glimt behaved as a unit and not relied too much individuality to craft this wonderful run in the Champions League, there were some players without whom all of this would have stayed as a dream only. Yet, it became a reality and it is mainly down to the attackers up top that left their club's name on everyone's mind this season.
Jens Petter Hauge
The left winger with an incredible flair, Jens Petter Hauge became a nightmare for opposition defense as he popped up with important strikes and set up his teammates to create the defining moments in games. He scored six goals this season, setting a new record for the most goals scored by a Norwegian player for a Norwegian club in a single European Cup or Champions League campaign. His eight goal involvement in the competition is the most by any Norwegian player in a single edition of a European campaign. Additionally, Hauge is also the second player to complete 15 plus dribbles and created equal number of chances this season after Michael Olise of Bayern Munich.
Kasper Hogh
Their resolute center-forward who found his rhythm along with the team to become the key player for Bodø in the tournament. After failing to find the net from the first 16 shots he managed in the competition, Kasper Hogh scored five times in the Champions League this season making him the player with the most goals in Bodø's history in Europe with 12 goals. He is also the third player to have reached double figure for a Norwegian side. Not only that, Hogh became the joint highest scoring Danish player in a single season alongside the likes of Nicklas Bendtner and Rasmus Hojlund.
Hogh made some unforgettable memories against some of the elite names in European football. The 25-year-old first two goals of the competition within just 24 minutes of a game and it came against Manchester City, the earliest any player has netted a Champions League brace facing the Premier League powerhouse since Son Heung-min for Tottenham in April 2019 which took him just 10 minutes. Meanwhile, the Dane's man of the match performance in the 3-1 victory against Inter in the playoffs made him
the first player since Desire Doue in last season's Champions League final to be involved in three goals in a single knockout match.
