The first sign of trouble for Glimt appeared even before the start of the match. The bus that was supposed to transport them to Arsenal’s home ground got stuck in London’s narrow streets, and the Bodø gang had to walk the last long hundred meters to the stadium. The incident was so special that the Sky Sports reporter at the stadium approached news to ask if it was actually true. And it didn’t take long before the trouble continued out on the mat. Because, despite making eight changes from the clash against city rivals Tottenham, there was little that resembled a B team at Arsenal in the opener. The English series leader put Bodø/Glimt under pressure from the start. Early scoring Already after nine minutes, Fábio Vieira sent the first warning signal that Glimt was in trouble, but the shot hit the crossbar and went out. Only about ten minutes later it slammed into the bars again. Kieran Tierney fired and the ball bounced off the post and out. Eddie Nkethia could thus easily pick up the rebound, and send the London team into the lead. And suddenly the Glimt team had a long way to go again – this time to get back into the game. The yellow-clad players gathered in a ring in the middle of the pitch while the Arsenal players cheered, and simply took a rallying cry. CRISIS MEETING: Already at 1–0, the Glimt players held a crisis meeting. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB – Cowards and passive But the abyss only deepened. Only four minutes later, Rob Holding rose to the occasion, and scored 2–0. – We are becoming a bit cowardly and passive, was the conclusion of Patrick Berg during the break at Viaplay. In the second half, Glimt got off to a better start, but just like the bus before the match, it was too tight in the strong London defence. Amahl Pellegrino turned up in the box, and finished well against the far post, but Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner saved masterfully. And when the game was heading into Glimt’s groove, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta took action. He deployed his biggest guns. Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard entered – the latter to a standing ovation from the Glimt supporters. Mentioned Jesus’s preparation for the team’s third goal was truly of the beautiful variety, and Fabio Vieira set the final score at 3-0 five minutes from time. – The simple truth is that they faced a much better team in almost every position on the pitch, sums up Viaplay expert Lars Tjernås. In just one week, the teams will meet again, on the artificial turf in Bodø. 2-0: Fábio Vieira (left) and Rob Holding (right) celebrate for 2-0. Photo: DAVID KLEIN / Reuters
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The Glimt bus got stuck before the match – then they were crushed by Arsenal – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
