Ulrik Saltnes scored twice as Bodo/Glimt gave themselves a great chance of reaching the Europa League semi-finals with a dominant 2-0 win over Lazio on Thursday.

Bodo/Glimt should have ended the first leg of their quarter-final tie out of sight, but they ultimately had to settle for two excellent second-half finishes from Saltnes.

Saltnes could have had at least one more goal, while Jens Petter Hauge and Odin Bjortuft missed further opportunities, but they will still be confident heading into the second leg at the Stadio Olimpico, with a two-goal lead to defend.

Kjetil Knutsen's men were utterly dominant from the off in freezing conditions, and only two poor finishes from Hakon Evjen and Ole Didrik Blomberg kept Lazio level at half-time.

But the Biancocelesti's luck would not persist in the second half, with Bodo/Glimt going ahead through a well-worked goal two minutes after the restart.

Hauge found Blomberg near the edge of the D, and his delicate, first-time pass picked out Saltnes for a clever reverse finish.

Saltnes wasted two more chances either side of Hauge blazing over from a brilliant position as Bodo/Glimt continued to press, and they had their second goal in the 69th minute.

From near the left corner of the box, Hauge scooped a delicious pass into the path of Saltnes, who lifted the ball beyond the onrushing Christos Mandas, with Alessio Romagnoli failing to clear it off the line.

Saltnes had another chance to complete his hat-trick but was denied by Mandas from close range, while the Lazio goalkeeper was fortunate to see Bjortuft head straight at him as they somehow avoided a heavier defeat.

Data debrief: No beginner's luck for Bodo/Glimt

Playing in the Europa League quarter-finals for the first time in their history, Bodo/Glimt showed no signs of being overawed by the stage.

They finished the game with 18 shots to Lazio's six, with a huge 16 of those attempts coming from inside the area.

The hosts also won the expected goals (xG) battle by 2.88 to 0.34, and enjoyed 58.4% of the possession.

The only negative for Knutsen was that they failed to build an even bigger advantage, but he will still be content with 2-0.