In The Zone: How match-winner Fredrik Sjøvold mirrors Bodø/Glimt's identity

Bodø/Glimt maintained a noteworthy winning streak on Wednesday, making it six straight home wins in the UEFA Champions League in 2026 – qualifiers included. The only difference from the previous five was they did not score three goals, with a single strike from Fredrik Sjøvold enough to beat Borussia Dortmund.

The identity of the scorer, right-back Sjøvold, highlighted the ability of Kjetil Knutsen's team to get in behind opposition defences using a variety of players – and that forms the focus of the video analysis below, brought to you by FedEx.

Bodø/Glimt's attacking patterns caught the eye during their run to last season's knockout stage and against Dortmund they offered something similar, impressing UEFA Technical Observer Steve Cooper with their capacity to get players in behind Dortmund's defence with quick, incisive moves. Sjøvold's winning goal in clip one above – a first-time finish from Sondre Auklend's cross – illustrates that perfectly.

"With the ball, he was involved constantly in many dangerous attacks and ended up making the defining moment of the game, scoring from a well-worked team move," said Cooper of the scorer. For Knutsen, Sjøvold's strike came during Bodø/Glimt's strongest spell when the instruction was to "go directly and attack them". Yet already during the first period, the full-back's attacking involvement was evident – as seen in his role in the second video, a sequence ending with Jens Petter Hauge's dangerous low cross.

The final clip features a chance created for Andreas Helmersen just after half-time when – in Sjøvold's own words – the Norwegian side "really got energy and intensity". His Player of the Match display contained both those qualities as he won seven of his ten duels, leading Cooper to note: "Without the ball he dealt with dangerous one v ones with great composure and aggression."

"He played a massive game, attacking and defending," added his coach, Knutsen. "The way we play fits his identity." As for their team's identity, that was clear to see once more as Dortmund joined Manchester City, Inter and others in returning empty-handed from a trip to the Arctic Circle.

A coach who always urges his teams to play with courage and flair, Steve Cooper took charge of the England Under-16 and U17 teams before accepting his first senior post at Swansea. He went on to manage Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Danish side Brøndby.