Bodø/Glimt have had some brilliant nights in European tournaments in recent years. Another big moment for Glimt fans came when Bodø/Glimt beat Turkish Besiktas at home at Aspmyra on Thursday evening. – It was an incredibly fun evening, which I think people will remember for many, many years, says Glimt’s Ulrik Saltnes to news. However, Saltnes was far from satisfied that he had to start on the bench. The Glimt star was substituted for Sondre Brunstad Fet a quarter of an hour before the end and scored Glimt’s third goal there after just over ten minutes on the field. – It came a bit like lightning from the sky. I was actually quite shocked and (was) deeply in disagreement. I probably told Kjetil (Knutsen, Glimt’s trainer) that too. But it’s clear, we have 30+ good players, so it’s natural that you roll a bit. You see the world from your own perspective. In any case, I deeply disagreed, says Saltnes to Viaplay after the match. That causes Viaplay’s expert Tor Ole Skullerud to react. – It is a party night for Bodø/Glimt first and foremost, but also for Norwegian football. There is fierce competition to start. Be disappointed, but get over it before you both go to the match and appear for the interview afterwards. Because I don’t think much of that, says Skullerud. Coach Kjetil Knutsen takes it all with a smile. – We spend a lot of time selecting the right team. If I have to ask everyone if they agree with the withdrawal, it will be difficult. But they are allowed to express themselves when they disagree, the door is always open. So I think we hit quite well today, grins Knutsen. COACH: Kjetil Knutsen. Photo: Mats Torbergsen / NTB Long-awaited victory Bodø/Glimt had had a slow start to the group stage in the Serie Liga with a draw away to Lugano and a loss at home to Club Brugge, but against Besiktas it was a long-awaited victory. Already within the first five minutes, Glimt had several great chances, but the scoring was delayed until close to 30 minutes had been played. Then Albert Grønbæk appeared first on a return from Besiktas goalkeeper Mert Günok and easily scored 1–0. In the second half, it was again Glimt who started best. Amahl Pellegrino and Faris Pemi Moumbagna had an adventurous double chance after 54 minutes, but were stopped by the post and a Besiktas player on the line. Four minutes later, however, no one could stop Moumbagna. Despite the fact that the striker appeared to be brought down inside the penalty area, he stayed on his feet and scored 2-0 in elegant fashion. JUBILEE: Moumbagna celebrates after the 2-0 score. Photo: Sondre Skjelvik – What a night for football Substitute Nino Zugelj thought he had made it 3-0 five minutes later, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR check for offside. Besiktas also had some opportunities to reduce, but Nikita Haikin held out with several good saves. In the final minutes, Saltnes made it 3–0. – What an evening for football, what a wonderful Bodø/Glimt evening, summarized Viaplay’s expert commentator Nils Johan Semb after the 3-0 score. In overtime there was a small sliver in Glimt’s joy when Brede Moe headed the ball into his own net. This made it 3–1 to Bodø/Glimt. The victory means that Glimt is up to second place in the group. For Besiktas, it is the fourth time they have lost against a team from Norway, after they have previously also lost against Rosenborg, Vålerenga and Tromsø in various European tournaments. PS! Earlier on Thursday, Molde won 5–1 over Häcken in the Europa League. Thus, it was a very good evening for Norway in the hunt for a top 15 position in the European coefficient ranking, which is important for how many places Norway gets in the European club tournaments in the coming years.
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