Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt produced an impressive performance in freezing conditions north of the Arctic Circle to defeat Lazio 2-0 in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday night, April 10th.1 A second-half brace from Ulrik Saltnes secured a deserved victory and gives the hosts a significant advantage heading into the second leg in Rome.
The match required volunteers to clear snow from the pitch before kick-off following heavy falls. After a likely goalless first half, Bodo/Glimt broke the deadlock two minutes after the interval when Saltnes poked home from close range.
Saltnes doubled his tally and his team’s lead in the 69th minute with a moment of brilliance, executing a perfect lob over Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas after receiving a fine chipped pass from Jens Petter Hauge.
The home side’s dominance was reflected in further chances. Saltnes was denied a hat-trick by Mandas when through on goal in the 83rd minute, and the Lazio keeper also produced a superb injury-time save to keep out defender Odin Bjortuft’s volley.
The victory marks a significant achievement for Bodo/Glimt, who are competing in only their second major European quarter-final. They previously faced Lazio’s city rivals, Roma, in the 2021-22 Europa Conference League quarter-finals, winning the first leg 2-1 at home before losing 4-0 in Italy.
Lazio, currently sixth in Serie A and group winners in this season’s Europa League opening phase, face an uphill task in the second leg next Thursday, April 17th (20:00 BST) in Rome as they bid to reach their first major European semi-final since 2003.
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