Juventus Ends 28-Year Nordic Drought with 3-2 Win Over Bodø/Glimt in Champions League

On a frigid Tuesday night in the Arctic Circle, where the temperature hovered near -5°C and the sun barely kissed the horizon, Juventus Football Club S.p.A. did the unthinkable: they won in Norway. For the first time in their storied history, the Turin giants triumphed on Norwegian soil, defeating FK Bodø/Glimt 3-2 in a dramatic, high-octane UEFA Champions League League Phase Matchday 5 at Aspmyra Stadion in Bodø. The winning goal came in the 89th minute — a moment that didn’t just seal three points, but shattered a 28-year curse.

A Curse Broken in the Arctic

Juventus had played 45 away matches against Nordic clubs since their first Champions League encounter with Rosenborg BK in 1997. They’d drawn five, lost 40. Never won. Not even a single goal in regulation in their last three visits to Scandinavia. That changed Tuesday. Exactly 28 years after their last point in the region — a 1-1 draw in Trondheim on November 26, 1997 — they finally got the win. The symbolism wasn’t lost on fans. The match kicked off at 20:00 CET, the same time as that 1997 draw. The same date, nearly the same hour. It felt like fate.

16 Shots on Target. A Record Reborn.

The numbers told a story of relentless pressure. Juventus fired 16 shots on target — the most by any away team in Champions League history since Bayern Munich’s 16 against Red Star Belgrade in 2003/04. Seventy-eight percent of those came in the second half. As the Arctic wind howled, the visitors didn’t just adapt — they dominated. Bodø/Glimt, who had conceded just two goals in their first three home Champions League games this season, were overrun. Their defense, usually so resilient, cracked under the weight of Juventus’ midfield control and wing play.

The Goalscorers: Concacaf Duo Steals the Show

While the entire team delivered, the spotlight fell on two North American stars. Weston McKennie, the 26-year-old U.S. midfielder, opened the scoring in the 27th minute with a thunderous strike from outside the box. Then, in the 61st, Jonathan David, Canada’s lethal forward, doubled the lead with a poacher’s finish after a brilliant pass from Nicolò Fagioli. David, who’s now scored in four consecutive Champions League matches, looked every bit the modern striker — fast, clinical, composed.

Bodø/Glimt fought back. Danish veteran Christian Eriksen, 33, netted his first Champions League goal for the club with a clever free-kick curler, catching the defense napping. Then, in the 79th minute, substitute striker Kristoffer Ajer pulled one back with a header off a corner, setting up a nerve-shredding final 10 minutes.

Two Centuries, One Night

Amid the chaos, two quiet milestones unfolded. Left-back Andrea Cambiaso, 24, and teenage sensation Kenan Yildiz, 19, both reached their 100th official appearance for Juventus. The twist? They debuted together on August 26, 2023, against Udinese. Now, on the frozen pitch of Bodø, they reached a century in the same match. Yildiz, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen at 18, now has five goal involvements in this season’s Champions League — 41.7% of Juventus’ total. He’s third among players born in 2005 or later, behind only Lamine Yamal and Désiré Doué.

Why This Matters: The Race for the Knockouts

Before kickoff, Juventus sat 25th in the 36-team league phase — outside the top 24 that qualify for the knockout round. They had drawn three of their first four matches. A loss here would’ve all but ended their hopes. Instead, the win lifted them to 10 points, putting them in the top 24 for the first time this season. The pressure shifts now to December 17, when they host SL Benfica at Allianz Stadium. A win there, and they’re all but assured of progression. A draw? Still possible. A loss? Disaster.

For Bodø/Glimt, the dream is over. Four points from five matches. No wins. Their final game against Club Brugge KV in Belgium will be a farewell to this campaign — but not to their growing reputation. They’ve punched above their weight, and Eriksen’s performance proved they belong on this stage.

The Manager’s Gambit

Thiago Motta, Juventus’ manager since July 2024, has faced criticism for his tactical rigidity early in the season. But Tuesday’s lineup — with Fagioli anchoring midfield, Yildiz roaming behind the strikers, and Cambiaso pushing high — showed evolution. "We knew we had to be relentless," Motta said post-match. "The cold doesn’t matter. The record doesn’t matter. What matters is what’s in front of you. We didn’t just play to win tonight. We played to prove something. To ourselves, to the fans, to the history."

What’s Next?

The final matchday on December 17 will decide everything. Juventus needs a point against Benfica to guarantee a top-24 finish. Bodø/Glimt must beat Brugge — a tall order — to have any chance of sneaking into the top 24. But even if they don’t, this season has already rewritten their legacy. For Juventus, this win isn’t just about points. It’s about belief.