Bodø/Glimt defeated NEC Nijmegen 3-1 in the UEFA Champions League play-offs at the Goffertstadion on Wednesday evening. The Norwegian side took an early lead through S. Fet in the twenty-fifth minute and added a penalty from A. Helmersen just before the break. NEC pulled one back through C. Bischoff late on, but the result confirmed Bodø/Glimt's progression.
NEC dominated possession at 69 per cent and registered 139 attacks compared with 81 for the visitors. They attempted twelve shots, six on target, against four for Bodø/Glimt, all of which found the net. Expected goals were almost even at 1.70 to 1.75, yet the visitors were far more efficient in front of goal. NEC created two big chances but could only convert one; Bodø/Glimt turned five into three goals.
The match turned on two moments in quick succession. Fet's goal came from sustained pressure, and Storm's yellow card in the forty-third minute preceded the penalty that split the sides. Aleesami's strike in the fiftieth minute extended the lead and shifted the tactical balance. NEC made three changes at the sixty-eighth minute, bringing on Pereira, Linssen and Mor, but could not find a route back into the game.
Bodø/Glimt defended deep and absorbed the pressure. Their goalkeeper made five saves to NEC's one, and the visitors cleared 63 balls compared with 18 for the hosts. The visitors managed only three crosses but created their chances through quick transitions. They held their composure when NEC threw everything at them, and the clean-sheet run came to an end only in stoppage time when Bischoff scored.
The result leaves NEC with a record of one win, one draw and three defeats in their last five matches. Bodø/Glimt have won three in a row across all competitions, including victories over Union Saint-Gilloise and Lillestrøm. The visitors moved into the next round with a three-goal margin, a comfortable cushion after a difficult opening half-hour.