Having suffered 5-0 defeats in their last two UCL games, Glimt were desperate to avoid becoming the first side to lose three successive UCL/European Cup matches by 5+ goals since 1986.
Yet up against a Dortmund side that had averaged 4.41 goals across their 17 previous league phase games, the hosts had a real task on their hands.
Home comforts have certainly helped the Norwegian side, and they looked to impose themselves from the off as Patrick Berg fired an early warning shot into a crowd, shortly before Sondre Fet bent an effort agonisingly wide.
Firmly on the back foot, Dortmund were almost undone midway through the first half by a long pass to Jens Hauge, who controlled excellently on his chest out wide, but he couldn’t find a teammate with a dangerous ball across goal.
Second best throughout the first period, BVB almost went ahead on the stroke of half-time when Fabio Silva headed straight at Nikita Haikin from point-blank range before bundling the rebound against the post, albeit with the assistant’s flag up.
None of Dortmund’s last 15 UCL encounters had ended goalless, and that trend looked like it may continue when Andreas Helmersen forced a reflex save from Gregor Kobel moments after the restart.
That proved to be merely a reprieve for the hosts, who soon fell behind when Fredrik Sjovold arrived in the area to guide a first-time strike past a helpless Kobel, handing Glimt a deserved lead.
Serhou Guirassy had bagged five goals in his last seven UCL appearances, but his close-range shot was blocked as BVB struggled to muster a response.
Ethan Nwaneri had a golden chance with 15 minutes to play, but the on-loan Arsenal teenager failed to guide his header past Haikin.
That proved to be the best chance for a Dortmund equaliser, as the German side slipped to their first loss since defeat to Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup, leaving them level with the Norwegians on three points after two games.
After drawing 2-2 in their head-to-head last year, Glimt can add Dortmund to their impressive list of conquered sides, which also includes Manchester City and Inter Milan thanks to their spectacular run last season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Fredrik Sjovold (Bodo/Glimt)