Glimt won their first-ever Eliteserien title in 2020 and have now claimed four of the last five crowns to solidify their status as Norway’s most dominant club, with the hosts now aiming to make major waves on the continental stage.
However, things did not go to plan at the Aspmyra Stadion early on as Maccabi took a shock lead in the 12th minute. Dor Turgeman brought the ball down and played a wonderfully weighted through ball with the outside of his right boot for Dor Peretz to run on to and slot in.
Perhaps Glimt’s slow start could be put down to the fact that their domestic league ended at the start of November, but the Den Gule Horde recovered well, threatening an equaliser 10 minutes later when Isak Dybvik Määttä crashed a header against the crossbar from six yards out.
Ultimately, they found that coveted leveller six minutes before HT, when Patrick Berg’s whipped free-kick was headed home by an unmarked Kasper Høgh at the back post.
With just under half an hour to play, Kjetil Knutsen's men were ahead when central defender Jostein Gundersen strode out from the back unchallenged before sliding in Håkon Evjen, who took one touch before finishing high into the net. Three minutes later and the points were effectively sealed when Berg’s attempted cross hit Tyrese Asante on the hand, allowing Høgh to convert comfortably from the spot.
The win propels Glimt into ninth position and above Manchester United albeit with Ruben Amorim’s side not playing until later on Thursday. Meanwhile, the result leaves Maccabi, languishing in 29th place and with a daunting fixture against Portuguese giants Porto to come next week, facing the prospect of being eliminated from the UEL altogether.