Nordic clubs have stunned the world as they have managed to send two of them to European competitions in the current season.
The 2024/25 campaign sees the unexpected run of Nordic clubs to the final four.
The Norwegian side, Bodø/Glimt, has snatched one place in the Europa League semifinal, while Sweden’s Djurgårdens IF did the same in the UEFA Conference League. Both will be taking on two English sides, Tottenham and Chelsea, respectively.
Such is undoubtedly a shocking rise for the clubs which have been considered the minnows in the continental competition.
They are now edging closer to being the unlikely champions, potentially making them the next two best Nordic clubs in Europe.
Throughout history, there have already been only two Nordic clubs that managed to reach the European finals. Both happened to be the Swedes, and one of them even was able to lift the trophy.
Will either Bodø/Glimt or Djurgårdens IF be the next ones to replicate such an unexpected victory this season? Undoubtedly, it is an extremely unlikely scenario. Yet, nothing is impossible in football.
Here are those two remarkable sides which might inspire Kjetil Knudsen and Jani Honkavaara’s men in the remainder of the campaign.
The Nordic Clubs with Best Continental Campaign in History
Malmö FF (1979/80 European Cup)
One of the best Nordic clubs in European top-flight competition is undoubtedly Malmö FF.
They remain the only Scandinavian team that managed to reach the European Cup, the old version of the Champions League, in 1979.
Bob Houghton’s men stunned the world after thumping more established teams to progress to the final.
They began their campaign by picking up a 1-0 win on the road over AS Monaco in the second leg after holding them in a stalemate in the reverse fixture.
In the second round, Malmo eliminated Oleg Blokhin’s Dynamo Kiev 2-0 on aggregate. Kiev were the favourite to progress, as they were the UEFA Super Cup winner three years earlier after crushing Bayern Munich.
In the quarterfinal, the Swedish side did not have any difficulty in beating Poland’s Wisla Kraków 5-3 on aggregate before facing off against Austria Vienna in the semifinal with another narrow 1-0 victory to secure one spot in the final.
Unfortunately, Jan Moller and Co. could not replicate their top form while taking on Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest. They had to concede one from Trevor Francis after taking advantage of John Robertson’s cross from the left flank.
Houghton’s men were not able to give much of a threat in the final third until the final whistle.
The 1979 edition was the most unexpected result in European Cup final history, as neither side had ever even reached the final before.
In fact, there had not been any established teams left in the competition since the quarterfinal.
It is believed that it was the beginning of Munich magic. It is deemed to be the lucky site for new champions.
That was the peak of Malmö FF in Europe. They have never played in the Champions League knockout stages again ever since. Let alone reach the final.
Their last appearance in the UCL final stage was in the 2021/22 season. The Swedish giant’s campaign ended at the bottom of the table in the group stage below Juventus, Chelsea, and Zenit St Petersburg.
IFK Göteborg (1982 and 1987 UEFA Cup)
Meanwhile, in the continental lower tier, IFK Göteborg is the king of Scandinavia. No other Nordic clubs has ever won silverware in the continent but them.
What was even more shocking was that they did not clinch it just once but twice, in 1982 and 1987.
In the former edition, they surprisingly snatched the title under Sven-Goran Eriksson after dismantling Hamburg SV 4-0 on aggregate in the summit.
They even saw off top sides along the way, such as the 1980 winner, Valencia, in the quarterfinal and Kaiserslautern in the semifinal.
In the final, Torbjorn Nilsson and Co. were not even favourites against Ernst Happel’s side. Yet, they managed to keep clean sheets and stayed unbeaten in both fixtures.
IFK Göteborg beat the Germans twice, 1-0 at their home turf and 3-0 on the road.
In the latter edition, IFK Göteborg was led by Eriksson’s former assistant, Gunder Bengtsson, when they clinched the second title.
They managed to knock out Inter Milan on the away goal rule in the quarter-final and Austria’s FC Tirol in the semifinal before meeting the unlikely opponent, Scotland’s Dundee United in the summit.
Glen Hysen and Co. had a better advantage, as they had a winning mentality, as their opponent just went through their best campaign in Europe and the first-ever final in the club’s history.
IFK Göteborg eventually picked up a 2-1 win on aggregate to bring home the UEFA Cup trophy for the second time. Unfortunately, that was their last notable campaign to date.
In the European Cup/Champions Cup, they might not have been reaching the same height as Malmo; they were the closest one to do so.
The Swedish side progressed to the quarter-finals three times and the semi-finals once.
They reached the last four in the 1985/86 season when they almost edged out Terry Venables’ Barcelona as they clinched a 3-0 win at home in the first leg.
Unfortunately, the Catalan side made a superb 3-0 comeback victory in the reverse fixture before defeating them on penalties.
IFK Göteborg’s last memorable campaign was in UCL 1994/95. Thomas Ravelli and Co toppled Barcelona and Manchester United in the group stage.
Sadly, they had to head to the exit after being eliminated from the away goal rule against the less convincing Bayern Munich in the quarterfinal in a 2-2 tie.
They also headed to the exit at the same stage in the 1985 and 1989 European Cup, as they failed to ease past Panathinaikos and Steaua Bucharest, respectively.
It is interesting to see if Bodø/Glimt’s and Djurgardens’ success could inspire other Nordic Clubs to do the same in the future.
However, their current campaign would surely become a real eye-opener that the Scandinavian sides are no longer mere minnows.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / TT
Recording Date: 01.06.1980