Where a “how in the hell could this happen?!” mood in the Norwegian media, there was a completely different tone in Italian newspapers. Here, no one was happy that the club that had sunk Serie A’s best club was now itself sent out of the Champions League after the perfect 3-0 start in the first leg. The summary of Glimt’s CL exit is characterized by great respect.
Italian sports newspapers describe Glimt’s exit as the end of one of the most incredible stories in modern European football. They draw parallels to the team’s ability to challenge economic giants despite a limited budget and a hometown with only 55,000 inhabitants.
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Some Italian media have previously pointed to Glimt as a role model for Italian football, especially in terms of their clear identity and way of playing, and have expressed a desire to see similar projects in Serie A.
After Glimt led 3-0 from the first leg in Bodø, the brutal loss in Lisbon is described as a “Viking fall”. The Italian coverage has taken note of how Sporting managed to turn the situation around, which has been described as a “sensation” in the Champions League.
The Italian press does not forget that Glimt on the way to this round beat both Serie A leaders Inter 3-1 at home and 2-1 at the San Siro. The loss against Sporting is therefore seen as the end of a journey in which they “shook the giants of the continent”.
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When the disappointment has subsided in Bodø, the realization will come, that this has been an incredible journey that has shaken Europe’s giants.
