UCL: Bodo/Glimt shock Inter Milan to reach champions league last 16 in historic upset

Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt delivered one of the most remarkable results in UEFA Champions League history by eliminating last season’s runners-up Inter Milan to book a maiden place in the round of 16, Sport360NG reports.

Returning to the San Siro, where he endured a challenging spell with AC Milan, Jens Petter Hauge proved decisive. The winger struck the opening goal and later set up Hakon Evjen as the visitors sealed a famous aggregate triumph. Bodo/Glimt will now meet either Manchester City or Sporting CP in the next round.

Inter, three-time European champions and runaway leaders in Serie A, entered the tie as overwhelming favourites. Their pedigree and domestic dominance made them widely expected to overturn a first-leg deficit after suffering a 3-1 defeat in Norway.

Instead, Bodo/Glimt, still in pre-season form due to the Norwegian off-season, reinforced their growing reputation as giant-slayers in their debut Champions League campaign. Having already stunned Manchester City and Atletico Madrid during the group stage, they added another heavyweight scalp to their list.

As anticipated, Inter began the second leg aggressively, pinning the visitors deep inside their own half. Goalkeeper Nikita Haikin was instrumental in preserving Bodo’s advantage, producing sharp saves to deny Federico Dimarco’s curling effort and Davide Frattesi’s close-range strike in the opening exchanges.

The decisive moment arrived in the 58th minute. Manuel Akanji was dispossessed by Ole Didrik Blomberg, who surged into the penalty area. Although Yann Sommer produced an excellent stop, Hauge reacted quickest to volley home the rebound, his sixth goal of the European campaign, a record tally for a Norwegian player representing a domestic club in a single Champions League season.

The strike visibly deflated the hosts, who had been beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in last year’s final. Akanji nearly redeemed himself when his effort struck the post, but any lingering hope was extinguished in the 72nd minute.

Hauge again turned provider, delivering a precise pass into the area for Evjen, who controlled calmly before dispatching a composed finish beyond Sommer to extend the lead.

Alessandro Bastoni pulled one back shortly after to reduce the deficit on the night, but Inter’s response lacked the cutting edge required to mount a comeback. Bodo/Glimt held firm through late pressure to secure a landmark progression.

The result makes them the first Norwegian side to win a knockout tie in Europe’s premier club competition since Lillestrom in the 1987-88 season, a milestone that cements their place in Scandinavian football history.