When was the last time a Norwegian team reached the round of 16 in the Champions League?

From a 0.3% chance of making the last 16 of the Champions League to knocking on the door. Bodø/Glimt have been the story of the Champions campaign so far and they are on the verge of making history in Norwegian football.

All to play for in Milan

The Norwegian side beat Inter Milan 3-1 in the first leg of the Champions League playoff last week, and now have a chance to be the first Norwegian club to win a knockout tie in the Champions League.

It hasn´t been an easy road for Bodø/Glimt, who had just three points after six matches in the league phase. Three draws and three losses left them sitting 32nd of 36 teams after six matchdays, but they miraculously beat Manchester City any home and Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital to secure their spot in the playoff.

With the new format, they aren’t in the Round of 16 just yet, but they are 90 minutes away, should they be able to defend their 3-1 first leg in Milan. If they were to win the two leg tie, they would become the first Norwegian club to win a knockout tie in the Championship League and become the second team from the nordic country to reach a knockout round.

Rosenborg blazed the trail

There has been a Norwegian club that advanced past the group stages of the Champions League, but it hasn’t happened since Rosenborg made it to the quarterfinal in the 1996/1997 season. Back then, the format was different. There were group stages, in stead of a league phase, in which teams played home and away matches against the other three clubs in their group and then advanced to the quarterfinal.

Rosenborg had to get through the qualifying round just to get to the group stages, and after beating Panathinaikos in a 3-1 aggregate, they went on to the group stages. Three wins and three losses in a group with Porto, AC Milan and IFK Göteborg saw them earn 9 points which was enough to land them second in the group, behind Porto but ahead of AC Milan.

Rosenborg would meet Juventus in the quarterfinal of the Champions League and had a chance to beat the Italian giants after a 1-1 draw at home. Juventus would win the return leg in Turin 2-0 and eventually reach the Champions League Final where they lost to Real Madrid who broke a two decade streak and brought the European Cup back to the Spanish capital.

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