The China Mail - Arctic underdogs Bodo/Glimt topple Champions League giants in 'fairytale'

Having already beaten Inter at home 3–1, the Scandinavians edged the Italians 2–1 at the iconic San Siro on Tuesday to reach the last 16 of the Champions League.

The victory over the three-time Champions League winners, who are sitting pretty atop Serie A, continued Bodo's surprise tour de force in the competition.

"This is the greatest club achievement ever by a Norwegian team," Norway coach Stale Solbakken told public broadcaster NRK.

While their league season has been over since November, Bodo/Glimt have won all their European matches since the start of the year.

Before twice overturning leads by Inter, they beat Manchester City, led by compatriot Erling Braut Haaland, 3-1 in Norway, and also toppled Atletico 2-1 in Madrid.

It's a feat few would have seen coming.

Bodo is a small coastal city north of the Arctic circle, which many would struggle to find on a map, with only 50,000 inhabitants.

Far from almost everything and battered by icy sea winds Bodo/Glimt ("glimt" meaning "glimmer" in Norwegian) keep the flame alive in a city plunged into darkness during winter months.

Their cramped and outdated Aspmyra Stadium -- built in 1966 -- can hold just over 8,200 spectators and the team came close to bankruptcy in 2016.

It is made up almost entirely of Norwegians and they have been working wonders since a return to the Eliteserien, Norway's first division, in 2018.

Since then, they have been crowned national champions in four of the last six campaigns.

Last season they become the first Norwegian team to play in the semi-finals of a major European competition with their run in the Europa League.

- 'Fairytale' –

"It's so important for football that Glimt are doing this, that in 2026 it's still possible for a small club to build itself up from almost nothing," Mads Skauge, vice-president of the club's supporters' group J-Feltet, told AFP.

"At a time when there is so much money in football, it's truly unique. I can't find any other example in modern history of a run as close to a fairytale as the one Glimt have had," Skauge added.

Today, Bodo/Glimt's fan base extends far beyond the town, and even outside Norway.

The club's shirts are sold in Asia, and media from around the world are coming to report on the phenomenon.

The recipe for success is a team with no egos, where everyone knows their role.

"It's a team in the truest sense of the word. There are no big stars, no freeloaders," Skauge said.

"Everyone clearly knows their role and if they don't fulfil it, they're out," Skauge added.

They have also adopted a style of play focused on attack, no matter the opponent.

"With so much repetition (in training), they play so fast that even the best teams struggle to keep up," Skauge said.

To this they have now added a solid backbone.

Bodo/Glimt finished last season in second place with by far the best attack and the best defence of the Norwegian league.

"We've dared to follow our own path, to be bold, to find our own way of doing things and, each time, we assess and move forward, maybe even a bit more than we would have dreamed," coach Kjetil Knutsen told broadcaster TV2.

Now confidence is sky-high -- to the point where the players are daring to shed their traditional Nordic humility.

"We are incredibly strong. What we're achieving is simply huge, we can beat anyone," forward Jens Petter Hauge, who scored the first goal against Inter said.

Their next opponents -- who will either be Manchester City once again or Sporting Lisbon -- have been warned.

M.Zhou--ThChM