Bodø / Glimt continues in the Conference League after victory – has gone 22 games without losing – VG

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Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen, who soberly stated at the press conference that “we must say we are satisfied”, was naturally asked about his own future after the convincing victory.

– I expected it to come. It goes without saying that it is tempting to join the journey in 2022. We will make that decision when the time is right, says Knutsen.

– It is extreme carrot to know that in February and March we will have matches that mean something. It is incredibly important for the club.

The Glimt coach is rumored to several clubs, Rosenborg confirms that they have him high on their list and Brann confirmed that they contacted.

Thursday’s victory was Bodø / Glimt’s 22nd game in a row without losing in all tournaments. It also tops last year’s season. Then stopped the series of 20 games without a loss after Milan was chopped too strong at the San Siro.

– These are fantastic numbers. I was not aware of it. There is a solidity in what we do, Knutsen comments.

– Last year there were many matches that were decided after 50-60 min. It’s a different team now, he adds – and points out how solid Glimt is defensively.

The victory against CSKA Sofia means that Bodø / Glimt are ready for promotion in the Conference League.

– Can you win the Conference League?

– I have not thought about that. We can conclude that we are on, says Knutsen and asks that the finger be stuck in the ground.

– But in Bodø / Glimt we have shown that everything is possible, he says.

– It is great for a club like Bodø / Glimt to perform so well at this level. The first half is very good, then the second half is a bit down, says Patrick Berg to Viasat 4.

After an ever so small chance wasted, it was Sondre Brunstad Fet who finally scored the northerners’ liberating 1-0 goal after 25 minutes. Amahl Pellegrino served a perfect post, which Fet easily steered into the corner.

CSKA Sofia excelled a little later in the match, but Erik Botheim put the nail in the coffin with his 2-0 goal five minutes before the end.

Patrick Berg points out that Glimt has the x-factor.

– It is raw power of Solbakken, says Berg to Viasat 4 about teammate Ola Solbakken’s preparation for 2-0.

Botheim has four goals and four goalscorers in the tournament – that is the most goal points of all.

– It is important not to think so much. You play football because it’s fun. It’s about living in the present, so it tends to be good, says Botheim about why Bodø / Glimt manages to deliver so evenly.

Roma are also further from the group after they won comfortably at home against Zorya Luhansk.

Bodø / Glimt’s last match in the group stage is still not without significance. While the winner of the group advances directly to the quarter-finals, the group runner-up must enter the round of 16 – or “playoff” if you will – against one of the group leaders from the Europa League.

It opened heavily for Bodø / Glimt when Fredrik André Bjørkan had to throw in the towel even before the start in the icy weather in Bodø. Instead, it was midfielder Marius Høibråten who took his place on the left back.

There was more bad news when Hugo Vetlesen had to take a break due to a shoulder injury.

Glimt could have killed the game even before the break, but both Erik Botheim and Amahl Pellegrino misused good chances to put the ball in goal.

Instead, Glimt invited his Bulgarian opponent a little into the match. The yellow hosts were at times unusually sloppy in the passing game, and the red shirts from Bulgaria also created several half-dangers.

Russian goalkeeper Nikita Haikin was angry when CSKA Sofia had several relatively easy chances.

Bodø / Glimt were not penalized, however – and Erik Botheim instead put in 2-0 after lightning-fast Ola Solbakken parked the guests’ left back after a brilliant backroom ball from Patrick Berg.

Thus, Bodø / Glimt is on to a play-off in Europe for the first time in the club’s history.

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