Hogh Shines with a Double as Bodo/Glimt Thrash Olympiacos in Round of 16 First Leg

Olympiacos’ impressive 26-match unbeaten streak came to an abrupt end as FK Bodo/Glimt secured a decisive 3-0 win over the Greek club, making a significant move towards the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League.

Fresh off a late turnaround against Twente in the prior round, and having notched up seven victories in eight European home fixtures this season, Bodo/Glimt wasted no time in aiming for another memorable evening at Aspmyra Stadion.

Just eight minutes into the match, the Yellow Horde opened the scoring in a stroke of fortune rather than finesse, as Jostein Gundersen’s header struck the crossbar and then deflected off Olympiacos custodian Konstantinos Tzolakis.

It marked the beginning of a first half dominated by the hosts, although they had to remain alert as Roman Yaremchuk posed a threat, with Nikita Haikin denying the Ukrainian striker on two occasions.

As the opening half neared its conclusion, Kjetil Knutsen’s squad continued to impress, with Kasper Hogh taking centre stage for both good and bad reasons.

Initially, Glimt’s leading scorer squandered a golden opportunity by shooting directly at Tzolakis after an astonishing 70-yard dash from Fredrik Andre Bjorkan. However, he would later make amends, doubling his side’s advantage five minutes later.

Brilliant interplay down the right flank released Ole Didrik Blomberg, whose cross was mis-hit by Hogh but found its way past a wrong-footed Tzolakis.

The half-time interval offered no respite for the Greek outfit, who continued to be overwhelmed by a Bodo/Glimt side eager to bury the contest.

Following Tzolakis’ denial of Ulrik Saltnes, Hogh struck again, converting a Bjorkan delivery with a well-timed tap-in.

Eventually, Jose Luis Mendilibar’s players started to exhibit some signs of resistance as they sought a goal to ignite hopes for the second leg next week.

However, every time the Legend looked like scoring, they were met with staunch defending, exemplified by an extraordinary last-minute tackle from Fredrik Sjovold just after the hour mark.

Ultimately, the Greek side appeared to run out of steam, leaving them in desperate need of a Phoenix-like revival in the next leg to overcome the calamity of a disappointing night in northern Norway.