Champions League: Bodo/Glimt stun Inter Milan in champions league upset
Bodo/Glimt beat Inter Milan home and away in the knockout play-off to progress 5-2 on aggregate, knocking out last season's finalists and reaching the last 16 for the first time in their Champions League campaign. The tie was settled by Jens Petter Hauge's opener and a strike from Hakon Evjen, with Alessandro Bastoni's reply proving insufficient for Inter.
Champions League upset at San Siro
Inter dominated the first half at the San Siro but could not find an early goal. The visitors from Norway repelled most of Inter's attacks and held a two-goal advantage from the first leg into the second match after a 3-1 win in Norway. Back at the San Siro, where he had two difficult years at AC Milan, Jens Petter Hauge scored the opener and assisted Hakon Evjen's second goal as Bodo/Glimt claimed a stunning success.
How the tie unfolded
The decisive sequence came in the second half. After a goalless first half, Manuel Akanji lost the ball to Ole Didrik Blomberg in the 58th minute; Blomberg charged into the box and his shot was saved superbly by Yann Sommer, but Hauge was there to volley home the rebound. That 58th-minute goal made it 1-0 in the match and left Bodo/Glimt with a commanding aggregate lead. Håkon Evjen then added a fifth for the visitors with a 72nd-minute strike, making it 2-0 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate before Alessandro Bastoni pulled one back for Inter.
Hauge's contributions and milestones
Jens Petter Hauge scored in both legs against Inter Milan and his goal in the second leg was his sixth Champions League goal this term — the most by a Norwegian player for a Norwegian club in a single edition of the competition. The context notes both the name Jens Petter Hauge and the shorthand Petter Hauge when referencing his goals. Some Inter players dropped to the floor after Hauge's goal, realising how the task of overturning the tie had become even harder.
Inter reaction and match details
Inter finished the match with 30 shot attempts and seven shots on goal but put only one past the line. The Serie A leaders, who are three-time champions in the competition and currently sit 10 points clear at the top of Serie A, mounted an expected barrage of attacks as they looked to overturn the two-goal deficit. They peppered the Bodo goal in the first half but the resolute visitors repelled most efforts, with goalkeeper Nikita Haikin on hand to deal with attempts on target. Haikin made two early crucial saves, first tipping over Federico Dimarco's curling strike before keeping out Davide Frattesi's goalbound effort.
Wider Champions League picture
Bodø/Glimt, who are still in their off season in Norway and whose Eliteserien ended in late November, have played five total matches — all in the Champions League — since the domestic league finished. They earned a reputation for producing results against the odds during their Champions League debut campaign, having already beaten Manchester City and Atlético Madrid in the competition's group phase before adding Inter to that list. Bodo/Glimt will now advance to the Round of 16 and will face either Manchester City or Sporting; a Friday draw will determine whether they play Sporting or Manchester City.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Newcastle ended Qarabağ's time in the Champions League with a 9-3 aggregate win after a 6-1 opening leg followed by a 3-2 victory, and will next face either Barcelona or Chelsea. Atlético Madrid advanced following a 7-4 aggregate win over Club Brugge: Alexander Sørloth netted a hat trick and USMNT midfielder Johnny Cardoso scored a golazo during Atlético's 4-1 victory; Atlético will meet Liverpool or Tottenham in the next round. Bayer Leverkusen also advanced and will face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich after protecting a 2-0 first-leg lead to knock out Olympiacos.
Inter are out of the Champions League after failing to outscore Bodø/Glimt over two legs. The Norwegian side’s victory — achieved with a 3-1 first-leg win and a 2-1 win at the San Siro — sends Bodo/Glimt into the last 16 for the first time, while leaving Inter, last season's finalists, eliminated from the competition.
