Inter Milan’s Champions League journey came to a stunning halt on Tuesday, as they were eliminated by Bodo/Glimt in the playoff round. The Norwegian side secured a 2-1 victory at San Siro, completing a 5-2 aggregate win that sent shockwaves through European football.
Cristian Chivu, the Inter Milan coach, acknowledged Bodo/Glimt’s impressive performance, but also pointed to a difference in physical condition as a key factor in the outcome. Inter, who reached last season’s Champions League final, have been playing a demanding schedule with matches occurring twice a week since the start of the year.
The defeat is a major disappointment for Inter, especially considering their dominant run to the final last season where they were defeated 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain. They also lost to AC Milan in the Italian Cup semifinals and finished as runners-up to Napoli in Serie A. Chivu maintained that his team gave their all despite the challenging circumstances.
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Bodo/Glimt, meanwhile, has played only four matches in 2026, all in the Champions League. This is due to the structure of the Norwegian league, which typically runs from March to December to avoid playing during the harsh winter conditions of Northern Europe.
This difference in scheduling allowed Bodo/Glimt to enter the tie with a clear advantage in terms of freshness, a factor Chivu observed on the pitch as Inter began to tire. “I have no reason to blame my players, because they have given their all, and in the second half Bodo had much more energy than us,” Chivu told Sky Sport Italia.
“We have given our all, trying to break the deadlock in every way, but after the break they managed to score two goals.
“There is a lot of disappointment, it’s a pity that we had to face a team that had much more energy than us, they were very organized, knew they had to do it after the 3-1 result in the first leg and did it brilliantly.”
“One can only congratulate Bodo/Glimt, they are a team that deserves to be in the next round,” Chivu added.
The stunning result continues a remarkable run for Bodo/Glimt, who have also secured victories over Manchester City and Atlético Madrid, and a draw against Borussia Dortmund this season.
Inter will now focus their attention on domestic competitions, where they currently lead Serie A by 10 points and are set to face Como in the semifinals of the Coppa Italia.
(adp/krs)
