Inter Must Turn Around Bodo/Glimt Tie, Chivu Defends Respect And Confidence

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Cristian Chivu strongly rejected the idea that Inter would feel embarrassed if Bodo/Glimt ended their Champions League campaign, defending the club’s status and effort ahead of a difficult second leg at San Siro, where Inter must overturn a 3-1 deficit to stay in the competition.

The first leg in Norway finished with goals from Sondre Brunstad Fet, Jens Petter Hauge and Kasper Hogh for Bodo/Glimt, while Inter scored once but left themselves needing at least a two-goal win to force extra time, and a three-goal margin to advance directly from this Champions League tie.

A Norwegian journalist asked if Inter should feel ashamed to go out against Bodo/Glimt, who come from a city of around 50,000 people and have only recently made an impact in the Champions League, prompting a sharp reaction from Chivu, who felt Inter were not being treated with proper respect.

"Nothing is shameful in football," Chivu said in his press conference. "In football, there's work from a club and a team, on one side and the other, and we have to accept and respect the opponent, given that you don't respect us by calling us this way, saying that we must be ashamed to lose against such a team, against a city with 50,000 citizens.

"We have great respect for what Bodo has done against us, but also in Madrid and against City and [Borussia] Dortmund. We respect our opponents and congratulate them on the good things they've built in recent times. When you have clear ideas, you can bring something nice forward. But we are not ashamed, because we tried to be the best version of ourselves last week, when they were better than us, and we congratulated them."

The task facing Inter is demanding when viewed against Champions League records. Since Liverpool overturned Barcelona in 2018-19 with a 4-3 aggregate semi-final win after losing the first leg away by at least two goals, eleven clubs have tried to recover from that position and none have gone through.

Inter’s historic record in Champions League knockout rounds also adds context. Inter have played 52 knockout fixtures in the competition and have won by two goals or more only six times. Inter have never recorded a three-goal winning margin in any match after the group phase of the Champions League.

Chivu, who won the Champions League with Inter as a player in 2009-10, accepted that Bodo/Glimt’s recent results show real quality, with the Norwegian champions beating Manchester City and Atletico Madrid, and drawing with Borussia Dortmund during the league phase, results that convinced Inter’s staff the opponents were capable of serious damage.

"We knew the strength of our opponents: what they achieved in the league phase wasn't by chance," he added. "They drew in Dortmund, beat Manchester City, and won in Madrid. We knew they could cause us problems. At times, we struggled and gave up a few opportunities. We hope that it won't happen again.

"These players have confidence, and they've shown it over the past three months. We've had highs and lows, including losing games in the Champions League, but that hasn't taken away our trust, self-belief, or work ethic. It doesn't matter if one battle is lost; what counts is giving your best in every match and being the best version of ourselves."

Inter enter the second leg without injured forward Lautaro Martinez, and Chivu’s Champions League record as coach shows four defeats from nine matches, the highest loss percentage for any Inter manager with at least five games in the competition, yet Chivu maintains that belief, recent league form and respect for Bodo/Glimt underpin Inter’s determination to attempt another Champions League recovery at San Siro.