FK Bodo/Glimt made history by reaching the UEFA Europa League last 16 for the first time ever, completing a dramatic 5-2 extra-time victory over FC Twente to overturn a 2-1 aggregate deficit. The match, which unfolded over a tense 120 minutes in freezing conditions at Aspmyra Stadium, was a true rollercoaster for both teams.
Located just north of the Arctic Circle, the stadium’s cold, unforgiving climate has often caught teams off guard, and Twente would be no exception. After a heartbreaking 95th-minute penalty defeat in the first leg, Bodo/Glimt came out fighting, nearly leveling the tie just three minutes in. Ole Didrik Blomberg’s cross almost found its way into the Twente net via Bart van Rooij’s inadvertent touch, but goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall was quick to deny it. Unnerstall was called into action again just minutes later, saving a powerful header from Jostein Gundersen off a corner.
Twente’s first real threat came in the 25th minute when they claimed that a shot from Ricky van Wolfswinkel had struck Villads Nielsen’s arm inside the box. However, after a brief consultation with the referee, Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez awarded a corner instead of a penalty. The visitors soon found themselves in a stronger position, though, when Michel Vlap’s corner was diverted into his own net by Fredrik Sjovold, giving Twente a 3-1 aggregate lead.
Before the break, Bodo/Glimt’s Jens Petter Hauge had a golden opportunity to pull one back, meeting a cross with a well-timed header, only for Unnerstall to once again deny him.
The game took another twist in the second half when VAR awarded Bodo/Glimt a penalty in the 55th minute after Gustaf Lagerbielke was deemed to have fouled Hakon Evjen inside the box. Kasper Hogh stepped up and calmly slotted the penalty down the middle to make it 1-1 on the night, reducing the aggregate deficit to 3-2.
Bodo/Glimt nearly had a second when Lagerbielke’s header from a corner rattled the post, and with 20 minutes left, it seemed like the home side’s hopes of an equalizer were fading. However, in the second minute of added time, a cross from Brice Wembangomo deflected off a Twente defender, and Mees Hilgers, in an unfortunate turn of events, turned it into his own net, bringing the score level at 3-3 on aggregate and sending the match to extra-time.
The first period of extra-time passed without much incident, but just six minutes into the second period, Bodo/Glimt took the lead. Odin Luras Bjortuft flicked a corner into the path of Sondre Brunsted Fet, who finished calmly to put the hosts 4-3 ahead on aggregate. The tie was sealed three minutes later when Fredrik Andre Bjorkan crossed into the box, and Arno Verschueren’s attempted clearance saw him score the third own goal of the night, making it 5-2 and sending Twente out of the competition.
For Twente, it marked their first-ever loss away from home in European competition this season, while Bodo/Glimt made history by progressing from a European knockout tie despite losing the first leg. This unforgettable comeback will go down as one of the club’s most significant achievements to date.
