No Comeback for Inter Against Bodo

13 hours ago

4 min read

Inter Milan 1–2 Bodø/Glimt

UEFA Champions League – Knockout Play-off (Second Leg) | Tuesday 24th February 2026 | San Siro, Milan, Italy

Aggregate score: Bodø/Glimt win 5–2 on aggregate

Background – What Did You Need to Know Before the Match?

This was the second leg of a two-match tie in the UEFA Champions League. The winner would go through to the Round of 16.

In the first leg, played in Norway last week, Bodø/Glimt won 3–1. This meant that Inter Milan needed to score at least two goals tonight just to force extra time. It was going to be very difficult.

Bodø/Glimt are a small club from Bodø, a city in northern Norway. This season, they have already beaten big clubs like Manchester City and Atlético Madrid. Their run in the Champions League has been extraordinary.

Inter Milan are one of the biggest clubs in Italy. They are the current leaders of Serie A, ten points clear at the top. However, their manager Cristian Chivu was without his best striker, Lautaro Martínez, who was injured.

How the Game Unfolded

First Half

Inter Milan started strongly at the San Siro. They pushed forward with urgency, knowing they had to score early. Marcus Thuram and Federico Dimarco both came close, but Bodø/Glimt's goalkeeper, Nikita Haikin, made several excellent saves to keep the score at 0–0.

Bodø/Glimt stayed organised and compact. They defended well and waited for chances to counter-attack. At half-time, the score was still 0–0, and the tie remained very much alive.

Second Half

The second half began, and Inter continued to push forward. Then, just before the hour mark, disaster struck for the Italian side.

Bodø/Glimt's Jens Petter Hauge scored the first goal. Inter's goalkeeper, Yann Sommer, parried a shot from Ole Didrik Blomberg, but Hauge reacted fastest and put the ball into the net. 0–1 to Bodø/Glimt.

Inter were now in serious trouble. They needed four goals. It looked almost impossible.

In the 72nd minute, Bodø/Glimt made it even harder for Inter. Hauge played a clever pass to Håkon Evjen, who took one touch and fired the ball confidently into the corner. 0–2 to Bodø/Glimt.

Inter did pull one goal back. Alessandro Bastoni scored from close range after a corner kick, making it 1–2. But it was not enough. Inter still needed three more goals, and there was very little time left.

The referee blew the final whistle. The match ended 1–2 to Bodø/Glimt.

The Final Result and What It Means

	Goals Tonight	Total Goals (Aggregate)
Inter Milan	1	2
Bodø/Glimt	2	5

Bodø/Glimt are through to the Round of 16 with a remarkable 5–2 aggregate victory. This is the first time in their history that they have reached this stage of the competition.

For Inter Milan, it is a huge disappointment. They are out of the Champions League.

Their manager Chivu had said before the match, "Everything is possible. It all depends on us." Sadly for Inter, it was not enough.

Bodø/Glimt's run this season has been truly astonishing. A small club from the far north of Norway has beaten Manchester City, Atlético Madrid, and now Inter Milan. European football will not forget this team any time soon.

Glossary

Word / Phrase	Meaning
second leg	the second of two matches played between the same teams; the team with more goals across both matches goes through
aggregate	the total number of goals scored across both legs of a tie
extra time	additional playing time (usually 2 x 15 minutes) if the scores are level after 90 minutes
Round of 16	the stage of a competition where 16 teams remain; the winner of each match goes through to the quarter-finals
goalkeeper	the player who guards the goal and tries to stop the other team from scoring
compact	when a team stays close together to defend, making it difficult for the other team to find space
counter-attack	when a team defends, wins the ball, and then attacks very quickly
parried	(of a goalkeeper) pushed or deflected the ball away to prevent a goal
aggregate	the combined score from both legs of a two-match tie
disappointment	a feeling of sadness when something does not happen the way you wanted

Vocabulary Exercise

Exercise 1 – Fill in the Gaps

Choose the correct word from the box to complete each sentence.

goalkeeper | counter-attack | extra time | compact | second leg

This match was the __________ of the tie. The first match was played in Norway last week.
Bodø/Glimt played very well as a team. They stayed __________ and did not give Inter much space.
When Bodø/Glimt won the ball, they moved forward quickly on the __________. This is how they created several chances.
Nikita Haikin was the __________ for Bodø/Glimt. He made many important saves in the first half.
Inter Milan needed to score two goals to force __________. If the aggregate score was level after 90 minutes, they would play 30 more minutes.