Norwegian club, Bodo/Glimt, has produced one of the biggest upsets in Champions League history as they knocked out last year’s finalists Inter Milan to reach the Round of 16 for the first time in the club’s history.
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 the visitors claimed a stunning success.
Following their huge win, Bodo/Glimt will face either Manchester City or Sporting in the last 16.
New Telegraph recalls that Inter are three-time champions in the competition and currently sit 10 points clear at the top of Serie A, and are set for the knockout round play-off tie.
But Bodo, who are still in their off-season in Norway, have earned themselves a reputation for producing results against the odds during their Champions League debut campaign and enjoyed another famous triumph.
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Having already beaten Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in the competition’s group phase, they added Inter to that list with a 3-1 win in the first leg.
They faced an expected barrage of attacks from the home side on Tuesday as the Italians looked to overturn the two-goal deficit.
They peppered the Bodo goal in the first half, but the resolute visitors repelled most of their attacks, with goalkeeper Nikita Haikin on hand to deal with any efforts on target.
He made two early crucial saves, first tipping over Federico Dimarco’s curling strike before keeping out Davide Frattesi’s goalbound effort.
But then came Bodo’s memorable moment in the 58th minute when Manuel Akanji lost the ball to Ole Didrik Blomberg, who then charged into the box and although his shot was saved superbly by Yann Sommer, Hauge was there to volley home the rebound.
It 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.
Some Inter players dropped to the floor after that goal, realising how a tough task had become even harder.
Akanji came close to making amends for his mistake when his shot hit the post, but Bodo crushed the hopes of Cristian Chivu’s side completely as they got an incredible second in the 72nd minute.
Hauge played a great ball into the box for Evjen, who took a touch before firing an excellent finish beyond Sommer.
Alessandro Bastoni gave Inter the faintest glimmer of hope four minutes later when he scrambled home to halve the deficit on the night.
But, ultimately, the hosts – beaten by Paris St-Germain in last season’s showpiece – had too much to do as Bodo held firm to become the first Norwegian side to progress in a knockout-stage tie in Europe’s elite club competition since Lillestrom in the 1987-88 campaign.
