BODØ / OSLO (VG) (Bodø / Glimt – Dinamo Zagreb 1–0) A brilliant cross and header mean the Champions League dream is still alive and well for Bodø / Glimt – who have often been self-critical.
A magical moment from young waiter Joel Mfuka (19) was followed by Amy Pellegrino (32) to explain why he was the top scorer in Serie A, when he used his head and turned the perfect cross into a goal.
– It’s a great evening, but I feel like we won’t be able to finish the job. There are enough chances, but we can’t kill the match. It almost feels like a loss really, says TV 2 winner.
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Bodo/Glimt led by a narrow margin before the final move was taken in the Croatian capital eight days later. If Bodu/Glimt avoid defeat in the second leg, they will become the first Norwegian team in the Champions League group stage since Rosenborg in 2007.
– We shall meet one hell of a cook there, says Pellegrino.
– We meet a smart team that manages to take some pace from us. We are not good enough and sharp enough in our game of pressing, but there is enough progress for us to score the second goal as well. It’s a good performance, but we didn’t quite get to the level I would have liked today, Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen tells TV 2 and adds:
– We can say that it will be an exciting match next week…
fully packed
Just over half an hour before the match started, Espmera was full of anthems, and although the floodlights and the darkness of the evening hugged each other completely before the referee exploded at halftime, there was a special atmosphere as the Champions League anthem resounded over the stadium complex. In Bodo for the first time.
The Bodo crowd was spoiled by glamorous European evenings even before Tuesday’s first Champions League qualifier, Bodo/Glimt was sure to dominate the game and dominate the team that became Croatian champions for 16 of the last 17 seasons.
It was clear that the Croats came north confident that defense was the main priority, but Glimt’s dominance still often culminated in fearsome crosses and half-hazards.
After 37 minutes, the moment Glimt fans have been waiting for came. 19-year-old Joel Mfuka hit a superb cross pass to Amal Pellegrino, who shook the ball straight into the goal.
– Glimt was much better
As his teammates cheered and the Aspmyra crowd cheered, Hugo Wittelsen immediately jumped in and recovered the ball into the net, before returning to the midfield.
Glimt wanted more, and only five minutes later it was only the margins that stopped Lars-Jürgen Salvisen. The perfectly-knocked corner found its way into the summer buying tool, but it hit the metal in the area where the bar meets the slate.
Obviously, Dinamo Zagreb coach Ante Kasic was not satisfied, and chose two players in the first half. One of them was the Swiss player Josep Drmic, who was almost undressed by the duo of Isaac Hellstad Amundsen and Marius Hubbraten.
Pellegrino was also close after the break, but his effort went too far. At the same time, Dinamo Zagreb moved up a bit, and he also had a ball in the net that was disallowed for a clear offside.
In the final minutes, Bodø/Glimt invested in increasing the lead, giving space in the back. In particular, substitute Bruno Petkovic came close after taking advantage of a blunder in Glimt’s back rows, but the Northerners escaped with panic.
– Glimt was much better tonight, so we are looking forward to being back in Zagreb, says Kasic at the post-match press conference.
The return leg will be played on Wednesday 24 August – after which Glimt can take a step into Europe’s biggest. On Thursday, two more Norwegian teams will be in a Conference League qualifying match. Molde meets Wolfsberger and Viking meets FCSB (formerly Steaua Bucharest). You can watch both matches on VG + Sport.
Statistics from sofascore.com
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