Saltnes seeks sweet upset as Bodo/Glimt aim for Europa final

Bodo/Glimt may be behind 3-1 on aggregate against Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur after the first leg of their Europa League semi-final in London, but the Norwegians have some pedigree against more illustrious foes. 

And a late goal by midfielder Ulrik Saltnes gave the club from inside the Arctic Circle a lifeline ahead of the home leg.

“It was more of a relief that we were able to lift ourselves a little and get into the game,” Saltnes told Reuters. “We are still huge underdogs, but at least now it will be a battle!”

Bodo/Glimt are used to battling in Europe and have taken some notable scalps this season.

In the quarter-finals, they looked dead and buried in extra time of the second leg against Lazio in Rome, only for Andreas Helmersen to score an unlikely equaliser and force a penalty shootout, which they won.

It is the latest in a series of never-say-die performances in Europe that stems from a club ethos that favours process over results, allowing them to keep cool even when under the cosh.

Saltnes has experienced all the highs and lows of European football in this campaign, scoring twice in the first leg at home to Lazio but then being taken off after 57 minutes in Rome as that two-goal cushion was erased, forcing extra time. 

The 32-year-old wondered aloud after the first leg if two chances he spurned in the second half might come back to haunt him, but as he sat and watched the penalty drama unfold, he said he could barely remember the misses.

'NOTHING TO LOSE'

“No, not really – it was so emotional and exciting to watch that I couldn't think about anything else but the game and supporting the lads,” he said.

Fortunately his teammates, and in particular goalkeeper Nikita Haikin, came to the rescue, winning the shootout