Even for many here at home these games were a shock – NRK Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule

He was warned in Bodø. He knew it was going to be tough.

Nevertheless, José Mourinho failed to beat Bodø / Glimt on his second attempt. It’s tempting to wonder if the coaching legend underestimated them – if that’s possible after losing 6-1.

After all, it’s quick when you meet a team from Little Norway.

Even for many of us here at home, those two games were a shock. You never really know how good the Norwegian teams are until they are in Europe. And while Glimt played well against Milan last year, no one expected two games like these.

So far, the Elite have found themselves so far behind the continent’s biggest leagues that there are concerns that our best teams will be beaten by greats like Rome.

Nei men. First, Glimt won 6-1 in Bodø. On Thursday night, they scored 2-2 in Italy.

It’s possible for a Norwegian team in 2021.

Cold heads

These achievements follow the excellent results of Rosenborg and Molde in Europe in recent years. Although Rosenborg’s heyday goes back a long way – Norway haven’t had a Champions League team for almost 14 years – Norwegian teams have shown that they are can break the big ones.

At the same time, few teams have done so with such a clear identity as Glimt.

It’s not only that Glimt is daring to play his own ball possession game, but that he actually masters it against Roma. Let them keep a cool head when it boils. Against the big powers, small teams can be tempted to strike far as soon as they are under pressure.

But when Glimt won 6-1 at Aspmyra, they got the ball 54 percent of the time.

Yesterday’s possession was 50-50.

And this despite the fact that it was Rome who chased the equalizer.

Best of Rome

This time it wasn’t against a weakened Rome either. When Glimt won 6-1, it was mentioned that Mourinho didn’t use his best players, which he himself emphasized to defend his own role in the fade.

Then it was cold. And artificial turf. Maybe a little underestimation too.

Yesterday, Mourinho posed his best. Well, that was the Europa Conference League, the third biggest tournament in Europe. Rome were cruel against Milan last Sunday and are probably not as good as before.

The same can undoubtedly be said of Mourinho.

But stay. Just last year, Rome reached the semi-finals of the Europa League. With 11 games played in Serie A, they are the only team to have taken points from league leaders Napoli. They bring in players directly from Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.

It was not a gang that took the task lightly. The players were pissed off off the pitch and Mourinho looked both angry and bitter when he complained to the referee after the game.

In England they are still laughing when Tromsø beat Chelsea 3-2 in the snow at Alfheim in the 1997 Cup Winners’ Cup, then lost 7-1 in London.

Previews don’t need a blizzard to show Europe what they can do.

Raises eyebrows

Instead, with such results, they are helping to change the perception of Norwegian football. For a long time, Norway hardly produced a player of interest to the big European clubs.

But then came Martin Ødegaard. And then came Erling Braut Haaland.

Now the Norwegian players are suddenly more interesting.

Likewise, Glimt will generate interest. Although the success of the Elite Series has already been covered by newspapers such as The New York Times, few see what is happening in the Nordic bubble from abroad. It has to happen internationally for people to open their eyes.

And when Mourinho conceded six goals for the first time in his career, against an unknown team north of the Arctic Circle, the news went around the world.

Hope the goals too.

Some who saw Aspmyra’s highlights would have expected long passes, strains and runs in the back room – an impression of Norwegian football that was reinforced by the national team in the 90s and during the European Championships in 2000.

They must have been shocked at what they saw: quick combinations, one-touch passes and synchronized movement patterns. Glimt’s two goals in Rome were also excellent.

The football Glimt plays has more in common with the Dutch school than anything “typical” Norwegian.

This is exactly what should be an inspiration for other teams in Norway.

May the Glimt adventure continue.