Napoli hold off Bodø/Glimt 4-3 in seven-goal Champions League thriller for first win of the campaign

A fast start and a frantic finish

Napoli beat Bodø/Glimt 4-3 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples on Tuesday, in a match that produced seven goals and a late scare. The game was part of the third round of the Champions League league phase, played on Oct. 20, 2026, with a 21:00 CEST kickoff. ^{[1] [2] [4]}

Matteo Politano put the hosts ahead in the opening minute, finishing after a cross from Leonardo Spinazzola, according to Sofascore. Jens Petter Hauge equalised for the Norwegian side in the 27th minute, set up by Sondre Fet. Scott McTominay restored Napoli's lead in the 41st minute from a Kevin De Bruyne pass, and the hosts led 2-1 at half-time. ^{[1] [2]}

Andreas Helmersen levelled at 2-2 in the 62nd minute after another pass from Fet. McTominay headed Napoli back in front in the 75th minute from a Politano delivery. Bjørtuft, the Bodø/Glimt defender, put the ball into his own net in the 88th minute to make it 4-2. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Fet pulled one back with a header from a corner deep in stoppage time. Outlets give slightly different minutes for the goal, from the 90th to the 94th, but all agree it was the final goal and that Napoli held on. VAVEL's live report said Napoli were "holding on with everything they've got" at that stage. ^{[1] [2] [5] [6]}

What it means for the table

Napoli came into the match having lost both of their previous league phase games, and a pre-match report described the club as "in crisis" and also struggling in Serie A. The league phase table before kickoff, published by Bundesliga.com, showed Napoli 32nd with no points, one goal scored and four conceded. ^{[4] [6]}

UEFA's round-up of the night described the result as Napoli's first Champions League win of the season, with McTominay the standout player. Taking the three points, Napoli move to three points from three games, based on the pre-match table. ^{[3] [4]}

Bodø/Glimt were 24th before kickoff with three points from two games, having lost 5-0 at Bayern Munich in their opener, a game in which Bjørtuft was sent off, and then beaten Borussia Dortmund 1-0 at home. With no points added on Tuesday, they stay on three by the same arithmetic. Updated positions for both clubs were not published in the sources checked, so the new ranking is not stated here. ^{[4] [6]}

Context and what next

The match was one of several played in the round. UEFA reported that Paris Saint-Germain beat Barcelona and that Liverpool stayed perfect with three wins from three, while Roma and PSV each recorded a first league phase win. ^[3]

Bodø/Glimt reached this stage after knocking Inter out in last season's play-offs, and Bjørtuft returned against Napoli after serving a suspension. Their hosts' win does not remove the pressure that built after two defeats, but it moves Napoli off zero. No post-match comments from either coach were available in the sources checked. ^{[4] [6]}