Bodø/Glimt lost its Champions League meeting with Napoli 4-3 on Tuesday, but the Norwegian club's performance drew unusual attention in the Italian press, VG reports. Several Italian football journalists and commentators highlighted the visitors' organisation and clear playing identity after the match, even in defeat.
According to VG, Vincenzo Barretta wrote on the Napoli Network website that Glimt controlled parts of the game, and that only the gap in individual player quality allowed Napoli to win. Barretta suggested that if Napoli had Bodø/Glimt's level of organisation, there would be few limits on what the Italian side could achieve.
Why it matters
The reaction in Italy is notable because it comes after a loss. Norwegian teams are often judged in Europe on results alone, but the Italian analysis focused on how Glimt played rather than the final score. The commentary also points to a shift in how the Bodø club is viewed abroad: as a side with a recognisable style rather than an occasional surprise.
For Glimt itself, the praise sits awkwardly beside the result. VG reports that the players were deeply disappointed after the match and now feel the team has reached a level where narrow, honourable defeats in Europe are no longer enough.
Italian analysts single out identity and structure
Barretta was not alone in focusing on Glimt's organisation. Napoli journalist Paolo Del Genio, in his match analysis cited by CalcioNapoli24, said Napoli still lacks a clear identity while Glimt has one. He described the Norwegian side as a team that sticks to its way of playing regardless of what happens in the game, noting that things went wrong for them on the night but they did not change their approach.
Del Genio said Napoli deserved the win but drew a contrast between the two teams, describing Glimt as a proper team while characterising Napoli's performance as stop-start, built on individual moments and only occasional organisation.
Ciro Troise, another Napoli journalist, made a similar point. Speaking to Radio Napoli Centrale, according to Napolità, he called Bodø/Glimt a strong side with an identity and an organisational structure that always stays true to itself. On Sky Sport, he added that Glimt is good not only physically but also technically, and described the club as a fantastic addition to European football in recent years.
Alessandro Del Piero, the former Italy international, also weighed in, calling Glimt a technically and physically strong team, according to VG.
The Italian coverage follows a match in which Glimt, according to NRK, fell behind after a nightmare start. Dagbladet reported that Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen hated something about the game, while TV 2 reported shock in Norway. Avisa Nordland quoted a football expert describing parts of the play as "a bit of primary school football." VG's summary does not give further detail on those remarks.
Glimt players want more than moral victories
The praise from Italy contrasts with the mood inside the Glimt camp. VG reports that the players who met Norwegian media after the match were visibly dejected.
Sondre Auklend told VG that the team has reached a level where it wants to get more out of these matches. He said that keeping possession was initially a reassuring thing in itself, but that the squad now feels it has progressed to a point where that alone should not be enough. In his view, Glimt should be going to these venues and coming away with more, creating more.
His comments reflect a broader ambition within the club. Having established itself in European competition in recent seasons, Bodø/Glimt is now measuring itself against a higher standard than respectable losses against major opponents.
What to watch
The coming Champions League fixtures will show whether Glimt can convert the organisational strengths praised in Italy into points. The team's own stated ambition, as expressed by Auklend to VG, is to leave these away grounds with more than credit for effort.
