NEC Nijmegen 1-3 Bodo/Glimt: Knutsen’s side take control in Nijmegen

Bodo/Glimt left Goffertstadion with a commanding result in the UEFA Champions League play-offs. NEC Nijmegen 1-3 Bodo/Glimt, played on Wednesday, 19 August 2026, was not about volume. It was about timing, clarity and execution.

NEC had the ball. NEC had the shots. Bodo/Glimt had the match.

K. Knutsen’s team scored through S. Fet in the 25th minute, A. Helmersen from the penalty spot in the 44th minute, and H. Aleesami in the 50th minute. C. Bischoff gave R. de Groot’s side a late route back with a goal in the 85th minute, assisted by D. Tadić, but the tie now bends strongly towards Norway before the second leg.

This was a classic European away performance: absorb, survive, punish. Bodo/Glimt still have work to do in the return leg, but they left Nijmegen with clear control of the play-off.

Match report

There was an early warning in the 11th minute, when a Bodo/Glimt penalty was cancelled after VAR intervention. It did not derail the visitors. If anything, it sharpened the plan.

NEC, set up in a 3-4-2-1 by R. de Groot, pushed numbers into the middle and tried to make the match live around D. Tadić, T. Chery and C. Bischoff. They finished with 69% possession and 22 shots. That usually tells one story. Here, it told another: too much of their work was in front of Bodo/Glimt, not through them.

The breakthrough came in the 25th minute. S. Fet scored for Bodo/Glimt, assisted by J. Hauge. Simple in the record, huge in the tie. Hauge’s value was not just the assist, but the way he gave Bodo/Glimt an outlet when NEC’s possession started to pin them back. He lasted until the 59th minute, when O. Brynhildsen came on for him, but his main contribution had already shifted the game.

The second blow arrived just before the interval. Tobias Storm was booked for NEC in the 43rd minute, and A. Helmersen scored a penalty in the 44th minute. For NEC, that was the minute that turned pressure into panic. For Bodo/Glimt, it was the green light to manage the tie on their terms.

Then came the goal that changed the mood entirely. H. Aleesami scored in the 50th minute, assisted by P. Berg. At 0-3, Bodo/Glimt could narrow the pitch, protect Nikita Haikin, and force NEC to prove they had more than possession.

NEC did respond, but late. R. de Groot made a triple change in the 68th minute: J. Monteiro came on for B. Linssen, A. Tahaui came on for E. Mor, and K. Sierhuis came on for B. Pereira. The changes gave NEC more bodies between the lines and around the box. A. Tahaui added three key passes in 22 minutes, while K. Sierhuis produced one of NEC’s six shots on target.

The goal finally came in the 85th minute, with C. Bischoff scoring from D. Tadić’s assist. It mattered. At 1-3 rather than 0-3, NEC travel with at least a thread to pull. But by then, Bodo/Glimt had already taken the serious value out of the first leg.

Jamiro Monteiro was booked at 90+1. V. Nielsen came on for S. Fet at 90+2, and Joel Mugisha Mvuka came on for S. Auklend at 90+2, late changes that underlined the visitors’ priority: close the file, protect the margin, get out.

Starting shapes

NEC Nijmegen started in a 3-4-2-1 under R. de Groot:

G. Crettaz; B. Pereira, T. Storm, D. Fonville; E. Mor, D. Nejašmić, N. Lebreton, C. Bischoff; T. Chery, D. Tadić; B. Linssen.

Bodo/Glimt started in a 4-3-3 under K. Knutsen:

N. Haikin; F. Sjøvold, O. L. Bjørtuft, H. Aleesami, F. Bjørkan; S. Auklend, P. Berg, S. Fet; O. Blomberg, A. Helmersen, J. Hauge.

The tactical contrast was clear. NEC built with width from the midfield line and tried to create overloads through Tadić and Chery. Bodo/Glimt stayed more compact in their 4-3-3, trusted P. Berg to control the central spaces without needing long spells on the ball, and broke with better precision.

That was the match. NEC circulated. Bodo/Glimt cut.

The numbers

Nikita Haikin was central to the scoreline. Five saves. One goal conceded. NEC had enough attempts to create stress, but Haikin gave Bodo/Glimt the calm that every away side needs in a first leg.

P. Berg was just as important without the same headline. He assisted H. Aleesami in the 50th minute, made four tackles, added a block and an interception, and gave Bodo/Glimt a reference point when the match tilted into long defensive spells.

For NEC, C. Bischoff was the sharpest attacking presence: two shots, both on target, four key passes, and the goal in the 85th minute. D. Tadić had six key passes and the assist, but NEC needed that influence earlier, not only when the tie was already slipping.

Cards and substitutions

• 43rd minute: Tobias Storm booked for NEC Nijmegen.
• 59th minute: O. Brynhildsen on for J. Hauge for Bodo/Glimt.
• 64th minute: Ola Brynhildsen booked for Bodo/Glimt.
• 68th minute: J. Monteiro on for B. Linssen for NEC Nijmegen.
• 68th minute: A. Tahaui on for E. Mor for NEC Nijmegen.
• 68th minute: K. Sierhuis on for B. Pereira for NEC Nijmegen.
• 76th minute: J. Kitolano on for O. Blomberg for Bodo/Glimt.
• 76th minute: I. Määttä on for F. Bjørkan for Bodo/Glimt.
• 82nd minute: A. Kabar on for D. Fonville for NEC Nijmegen.
• 82nd minute: K. Kers on for T. Chery for NEC Nijmegen.
• 90+1: Jamiro Monteiro booked for NEC Nijmegen.
• 90+2: V. Nielsen on for S. Fet for Bodo/Glimt.
• 90+2: Joel Mugisha Mvuka on for S. Auklend for Bodo/Glimt.

What it means

For Bodo/Glimt, this is a major away result in a Champions League play-off first leg. It was not flawless, because allowing 22 shots and 69% possession is not a small detail. But it was brutally effective, and in Europe that often matters more.

For NEC, the late goal from C. Bischoff keeps the second leg alive, but only just. R. de Groot’s side must turn possession into cleaner chances and protect transitions far better. The return match now has a simple timeline: NEC need the first goal, Bodo/Glimt need control.

K. Knutsen will know the tie is not finished. But after three goals away from home, with S. Fet, A. Helmersen and H. Aleesami all on the scoresheet, Bodo/Glimt have the advantage and the clearer route towards the Champions League proper.