Inter Milan acknowledge that Bodo/Glimt demonstrated their rightful place in the competition.

MILAN — A year can bring significant changes. Or, to be precise, nine months.

Last season, Inter Milan made it to the Champions League final, achieving this with impressive victories over Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

On Tuesday, however, the Italian club exited the tournament following a disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Bodø/Glimt, resulting in a 5-2 aggregate loss in the playoff round, which is being regarded as one of the greatest upsets in Champions League history.

Inter coach Cristian Chivu stated that the outcome was not a coincidence.

“We understand that the Champions League is highly competitive. If teams reach this level, it indicates they possess quality,” Chivu remarked. “And they have demonstrated that. They proved it against Dortmund, Madrid, City, and us on two occasions.”

“This is a team full of energy. We could have performed better in Norway, and we could have done better today as well, but unfortunately, things did not go as we hoped. We gave everything to try to progress; that’s football.”

Inter was missing key players Lautaro Martínez and Hakan Çalhanoglu due to injuries, yet there were no justifications against a Bodø side that has yet to commence its campaign in Norway’s top division this season.

This was not the first significant upset for the small Norwegian team this season, having previously secured victories over Manchester City and Atlético Madrid, along with a draw against Borussia Dortmund.

Last season, signs indicated that not everything was well at Inter. The club reached the Champions League final but suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. Additionally, it lost to AC Milan in the Italian Cup semifinals and finished second to Napoli in Serie A.

Coach Simone Inzaghi was succeeded by Chivu, who had only briefly managed Parma prior to this role.

The anticipated overhaul of an aging squad did not occur, as Inter made minimal investments in the transfer market, acquiring only Ange-Yoan Bonny, Luis Henrique, Petar Sučić, and Manuel Akanji.

This season, Inter is 10 points ahead at the top of Serie A and seems to be on the verge of clinching the domestic title, but has faced challenges in the Champions League.

The Nerazzurri began the continental tournament strongly, winning their first three matches, but then suffered four consecutive losses, finishing the league phase in 10th place, just one point shy of automatic qualification for the round of 16.

“Bodø won both matches, so they earned their place in the next round,” Inter midfielder Nicolò Barella commented on the playoff exit. “They didn’t create significant problems for us today…the hardest part was scoring, and we were unable to do so.”

“Naturally, there is disappointment because we aim to compete on all fronts. We made an effort; they were superior. With one more point, we would have advanced and avoided this playoff, but this is the new Champions League.”

Inter needed at least two goals on Tuesday to progress, having lost the first leg 3-1, and they pushed from the outset. They created several opportunities but were thwarted by solid defending and excellent saves from Bodø goalkeeper Nikita Haikin.

In fact, most statistics, aside from the score, indicated that Inter dominated the match. They recorded 32 attempts compared to seven from their opponents and completed 552 passes against 192.

“We must acknowledge and congratulate our opponents because they executed their game plan effectively,” Chivu stated. “The level in the Champions League is high, and if you cannot be clinical and aware in front of goal, opponents will capitalize on that.”

Information from The Associated Press was utilized in this report.