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WINNING ROW: Bodø / Glimt continues to sweep their opponents off the field, now also in Europe. Photo: Mats Torbergsen
Kauno Zalgiris was not a benchmark for the magnificent Bodø / Glimt in the Europa League qualifiers. Now there is a third chance that the Northerners will attract Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Milan in the next round.
– We want an opponent that we can beat and move on to the next round. This is the draw of my dreams, replied Bodø / Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen at the press conference following Thursday’s victory.
In the second round of the Europa League qualifying, tough teams like Tottenham, Galatasaray, Rangers, Milan, Basel and FC Copenhagen will enter.
It is now clear that Bodø / Glimt will attract AC Milan, Hungarian Fehérvár or FK Zalgiris Vilnius of Lithuania.
– If you draw Milan it would have been fun, but first of all we want to get a home game and a team that we can beat to go further, says Patrick Berg to VG.
Last week, Italian media reported that Milan and superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic agreed to a new contract until June 2021.
– The same still applies. We hope for a team that we can beat. I’d rather have Milan in the group stage than face them in the second round. We will have to take the big teams later, says Philip Zinckernagel when it becomes clear that Milan is one of only three teams that can draw.
That point of view is shared by the extreme on the opposite side.
– If you want an incredibly great game, we can draw Milan, but I like to take it as easy as possible. We’d rather take the big teams later, says Jens Petter Hauge.
He scored two goals in Thursday’s goal celebration:
The Dane scored twice when Bodø / Glimt easily dropped Lithuanian Kauno Zalgiris 6-1 in Aspmyra. Kjetil Knutsen likes to play various games on his own artificial turf.
– That choice is very simple. We want to get as many matches as possible here, Knutsen declared.
Glimt’s supporters used the elevator and went up to the roof to watch the Europa League showdown, create atmosphere and support their boys in the match that went to the empty stands.
– It was creative and impressive that they thought about it. Really we appreciate. They’ve done a fantastic job all season, Hauge says.
If Bodø / Glimt progress to the group stage of the Europa League, there may be a slight hope that the crowd will finally be able to step into the stands.
“We can only hope that soon we can get the hearing this team deserves,” Knutsen said of the situation.
PARTY: Bodø / Glimt fans were creative when they wanted to show their support in Aspmyra on Thursday night. Photo: Mats Torbergsen
Rosenborg also had no problems advancing in the Europa League. It is true that they were two behind at the end, but 4-2 was more than enough against the Icelander Breidablik.
However, Rosenborg has a high probability of being seeded in the next qualifying round, which will be drawn on August 31 and played on September 17. That game is broadcast on VG +.
On Sunday night it became clear that Rosenborg will face Lithuanian Riteirar, Latvian Ventspils or Hungarian Honvéd.
– The European games are in any case important for the club, both in terms of defection, classification and seeds. All matches count for a lot, and these are matches that provide important lessons for the team, Åge Hareide tells VG.
In the second qualifying round, Viking also enters the Europa League qualification.
The Stavanger team draws Aberdeen, Standard Liège or Willem II.
RBK’s match against Breidablik was decided after just half an hour:
