With a maiden UCL main draw appearance at stake, the Goffertstadion faithful were nervous, even if the hosts did shade the early minutes in terms of possession.
Their nerves were not soothed by an apparent handball by Brayann Pereira on 11 minutes, only for a VAR review to see Francois Letexier overturn the decision.
But that was a mere reprieve, and after Andreas Helmersen forced a decent save from Gonzalo Crettaz at the end of a cross, some fancy footwork from Jens Petter Hauge unlocked the NEC backline, and he slid in Sondre Fet for a low finish at the near post.
Bodo continued to ask the questions, and after Ole Blomberg found himself denied by the quick thinking of Crettaz, he finally managed to make a contribution – albeit unwittingly – when he had his shirt tugged by Tobias Storm inside the box. There could be no doubt that it was a penalty, and Helmersen calmly stepped up, firing in down the middle as Crettaz dived to his left.
That was a good omen, since Helmersen had been on the winning side in his previous 11 goalscoring appearances for Bodo, including the crucial 117th-minute winner against Union Saint-Gilloise in the previous round.
There would be no changes from either bench at half-time, and Bodo killed off the match – and seemingly even the tie itself – after a positive start to the second half.
Haitam Aleesami outjumped Pereira at the end of a fizzing corner delivery from Patrick Berg, heading into the far corner past a helpless Crettaz.
At 3-0, it was difficult to see any feasible way back for NEC, and their subsequent slew of substitutions looked little more than arbitrary.
Bodo's Helmersen should have converted a header at the far post, only for Darko Nejasmic to clear away via instinct rather than positional awareness.
To give credit where due, though, Tjaronn Chery came close to giving NEC a lifeline, forcing a diving save from Nikita Haikin at distance, as the Dutch side began to apply some real pressure.
Eventually, the home side would get a late consolation, as Dusan Tadic flicked on for Clement Bischoff to convert at the far post after a rare break for NEC.
There was also a nervy moment that saw the hosts hit the post via a header, but Bodo were able to hold on to their two-goal lead.
No Norwegian club had ever won a UCL qualification play-off away leg in seven attempts prior to tonight, with Bodo losing in three of those. But it’s no surprise that Arctic warriors themselves – slayers of 2023 finalists Man City and Inter only last term – are the team to break that curse.
Their underdog spirit has only strengthened since last season on this evidence, and only a minor miracle can now save NEC as they prepare to travel into the Arctic circle, and somehow do what Europe’s finest failed to accomplish earlier this year.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Tjaronn Chery (NEC Nijmegen)
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