Inter - Bodø/glimt: inter - bodø/glimt stun Serie A leaders at the San Siro
inter - bodø/glimt produced one of the tie’s defining results in the Champions League play-offs for a last-16 spot, stunning Inter Milan at the San Siro and leaving the Norwegian side on the brink of the knockout phase. The result reshaped the play-off narrative on a night that also saw Newcastle progress and Bayer Leverkusen advance.
Inter - Bodø/glimt: Hauge and Evjen put Bodø/Glimt ahead at San Siro
The second leg at the San Siro finished Inter 1-2 Bodo, a scoreline that left the aggregate 2-5 in Bodø/Glimt’s favour. Jens Hauge put the visitors in front and Marius Evjen doubled the lead before Alessandro Bastoni pulled one back for Inter. The venue was the San Siro, where the Norwegian visitors completed a shock that removed the Serie A leaders from the tie.
Pre-match picture and squad battlegrounds around the second leg
Before the second leg, Inter Milan had faced a 3-1 deficit to overturn when they welcomed Bodø/Glimt to the San Siro on Tuesday night. The club’s recent managerial history was noted — Antonio Conte was appointed Inter boss in 2019 — and Cristian Chivu was leading the side into the tie. Inter’s captain, Lautaro Martínez, had picked up a calf injury in the first leg and, while there was talk he might recover quicker than expected, he was unavailable for the visit. Marcus Thuram was expected to partner last week’s goalscorer Pio Esposito, Federico Dimarco moved from an unused substitute in the Arctic Circle to a certainty to start the second leg, Piotr Zieliński was slated to operate at the base of midfield in Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s absence, and Nicolò Barella was due to return after missing a 2-0 victory over Lecce.
Newcastle progress and the Qarabag encounter at St James’ Park
Newcastle United cruised into the last 16 with a 3-2 win over Qarabag, taking the aggregate to 9-3 after a 6-1 result in Azerbaijan the previous week. Sandro Tonali opened the scoring in the fourth minute after Mateusz Kochalski could only parry William Osula’s header into Tonali’s path; it was Tonali’s first goal in the competition. Joelinton added a second from a Harvey Barnes cross a couple of minutes later. After half-time Camilo Duran skipped away from Dan Burn to finish past Aaron Ramsdale and give Qarabag hope, but Sven Botman restored Newcastle’s big aggregate cushion with a header from a Kieran Trippier corner. Qarabag were then awarded a penalty for a Dan Burn handball; Aaron Ramsdale saved Marko Jankovic’s spot-kick but Elvin Cafarguliyev reacted quickest to score the rebound. The match was covered live at St James’ Park, where a reporter on site relayed the action and Alex Murphy shared his reaction after making his debut in the Champions League for Newcastle. Eddie Howe’s side had already had one foot in the next round after the 6-1 rout in Baku the week before, and a much-changed Newcastle side picked up from that form before Qarabag fought back spiritedly.
Bodø/Glimt’s giant-killing run and Norwegian football context
Bodø/Glimt’s progression has been cast as a historic night after they swatted aside three-time champions and current Serie A leaders Internazionale at the San Siro, continuing a remarkable giant-killing run in the competition. The Norwegian side had looked buried during the league stage, with just two points after their first five matches, yet they had previously squeaked into the knockout phase in 23rd place and by two goals. The recent sequence places them one step away from becoming only the second Norwegian team to reach the quarter-finals, a feat last achieved by Rosenborg in 1997. Post-match commentary from supporters reflected the scale of the achievement: Joakim Nysnø highlighted a string of recent Norwegian successes and the aggregate numbers, Colum Fordham contrasted Bodø’s feat with previous giant-killings and noted their victory over Inter at the San Siro, Kári Tulinius expressed amazement at the scale of the upset, and Paul Griffin flagged a quirky historical note about the club’s name and a cultural reference.
Other ties, Leverkusen progress and the next set of play-offs
Bayer Leverkusen drew 0-0 with Olympiacos to win 2-0 on aggregate and will face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16. Atlético Madrid beat Club Brugge to set up a tie with either Liverpool or Spurs. The live coverage for ongoing play-off action will return at 18: 30 GMT on Wednesday for four more second-leg ties, with a watch & listen option noted for live coverage.
