Bodo/Glimt stun Inter Milan at San Siro to reach Uefa Champions League last 16

FK Bodo/Glimt produced one of the great European upsets by eliminating Inter Milan with a 2-1 second-leg victory at San Siro, sealing a remarkable 5-2 aggregate triumph in the UEFA Champions League play-offs. 

The result makes them the first Norwegian club to progress from a knockout round in Europe’s premier competition since 1987.

Needing to overturn a heavy first-leg deficit, Inter faced a daunting task, having never previously won a Champions League knockout tie by a three-goal margin, the exact requirement on the night. 

The hosts nearly made the perfect start inside three minutes when Federico Dimarco delivered a lofted cross that Sebastiano Esposito headed narrowly over the bar.

Inter dominated much of the opening period. Davide Frattesi saw a header saved, while Dimarco’s fierce drive from the edge of the area was tipped over by Nikita Haikin.

 From the ensuing corner, Frattesi’s near-post header was cleared off the line before the midfielder was denied again by a superb diving save from Haikin. Bodø/Glimt offered a warning late in the half when Håkon Evjen’s header forced Yann Sommer into a scrambling stop.

After the interval, Inter continued to press, but just before the hour mark the visitors delivered a decisive blow. Manuel Akanji lost possession cheaply to Ole Blomberg, whose effort was parried into the path of Jens Petter Hauge for a simple finish that stunned the home crowd.

Akanji almost redeemed himself moments later when he struck the post from close range following Dimarco’s cutback, but Bodø/Glimt struck again in the 72nd minute. 

Hauge threaded an incisive pass through the defence for Evjen, who steadied himself before firing beyond Sommer to effectively extinguish Inter’s comeback hopes. Alessandro Bastoni pulled one back from close range, but it proved insufficient.

Bodø/Glimt saw out the closing stages with composure to claim a historic progression to the round of 16. Having never won a Champions League match before January, they now boast four consecutive victories in the competition and await the draw with confidence. 

Inter, meanwhile, fail to reach the last 16 for the first time since the 2020/21 campaign, though they remain firmly in contention for domestic honours in Serie A and the Coppa Italia.