MILAN, ITALY — In one of the Champions League's most remarkable results of the season, Bodo/Glimt silenced the San Siro with a stunning 2-1 victory over Internazionale, a result that defied almost every statistical measure of the night. Jens Petter Hauge's 58th-minute strike and Håkon Evjen's clinical 72nd-minute finish gave the Norwegian visitors an improbable lead, and though Alessandro Bastoni pulled one back four minutes later, Inter could not find an equaliser despite their overwhelming dominance throughout the contest.
The first half offered little indication of the drama to come. Inter controlled the tempo from the opening whistle, pinning Bodo/Glimt deep into their own half and generating the lion's share of possession. Federico Dimarco came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 12th minute, his left-footed effort from the right side of the box forcing a fine save from Nikita Haikin, who pushed the ball away to the top centre of his goal. Alessandro Bastoni had provided the assist, and the combination would prove significant later in the evening — though in very different circumstances. Bodo/Glimt, sitting deep and compact, offered almost nothing going forward in the opening 45 minutes, content to absorb Inter's pressure and wait for their moment.
That moment arrived with startling swiftness in the second half. On 58 minutes, Bodo/Glimt broke forward with purpose, and Hauge found space in the centre of the box to drill a composed left-footed finish to the centre of the goal, leaving Yann Sommer with no chance. The goal came against the run of play — moments earlier, Sommer had denied Ole Didrik Blomberg with a sharp save in the centre of his goal — but Bodo/Glimt's intent was suddenly unmistakable. The San Siro crowd, which had been expectant all evening, fell into stunned silence.
Inter's response was frantic. Simone Inzaghi threw on three substitutes at the 62nd minute — Petar Sucic, Andy Diouf, and Ange-Yoan Bonny all entering the fray — and the Nerazzurri poured forward in search of an equaliser. Manuel Akanji struck the left post with a right-footed effort from the centre of the box in the 69th minute, a moment that summed up Inter's desperate luck. Corners came in waves — Inter would finish the night with 16 in total — but Bodo/Glimt's defensive discipline held firm.
Then came the killer blow. In the 72nd minute, Hauge turned provider, releasing Evjen in behind on a devastating fast break. The winger kept his composure superbly, driving a right-footed shot from the centre of the box into the bottom left corner to double Bodo/Glimt's lead. It was a goal of breathtaking simplicity, the product of ruthless counter-attacking football executed to perfection. Bastoni did pull one back four minutes later, rising to meet Bonny's corner delivery and guiding a right-footed finish from the right side of the six-yard box into the centre of the goal, but Inter's comeback never truly materialised. Jostein Gundersen had already been cautioned with a yellow card in the 67th minute, and Bodo/Glimt's resolve in the closing stages was admirable, with Ulrik Saltnes and Andreas Helmersen introduced to help see out the result.
The statistics told a story of extraordinary contrast. Internazionale dominated the ball with 70.5% possession, pinning Bodo/Glimt back for long stretches and launching 30 shots at goal compared to Bodo/Glimt's 7. Yet despite 30 attempts, Internazionale managed just 7 on target, while Bodo/Glimt were ruthlessly clinical, putting 5 of their 7 shots on target. Sommer made three saves for Inter; Haikin made four for the visitors. Internazionale's pressure yielded 16 corners, but the set-piece dominance ultimately counted for little against a side that knew exactly what they were doing with the ball when it mattered most.
The statistics reflected a night where dominance and efficiency told entirely different stories, and Bodo/Glimt's 71% shots-on-target rate was the defining number of the evening. Inter remain in 10th place in the Champions League standings with 15 points, their top-eight ambitions now under pressure, while Bodo/Glimt's 12 points keep their playoff hopes alive heading into the final stretch of the league phase.
Internazionale must dust themselves off before facing Genoa on March 1, while Bodo/Glimt return home to host Sarpsborg FK on March 15 — riding the wave of one of Norwegian football's finest European nights.