Norwegian Bodø/Glimt qualifies for Champions League Round of 16

Remarkable Norwegian performance

The aggregate score was 5-2. Meanwhile, Alexander Sørloth capped off a remarkable Norwegian performance with a hat-trick, leading Atlético Madrid to victory over Belgian side Club Brugge.

In the first leg, the Norwegian club reaffirmed their dominance over the Italian giants thanks to a brace from Jens Petter Hauge (58) and Haakon Eivin (72), having defeated them 3-1 last week. Alessandro Bastoni scored Inter's lone goal (77).

"What we achieved was incredible," said Hauge after the match. "We knew it would be extremely difficult against Inter; they are a very strong team and reached the final last season."

He added, "I believe in this project, and we are showing that in the Champions League."

Bodø/Glimt will face either Manchester City or Sporting Lisbon in the round of 16.

Bodø/Glimt has already achieved impressive results in the competition this season, most notably victories over Manchester City (3-1) and Atlético Madrid (2-1).

At the San Siro stadium, in front of approximately 3,000 fans of Bodø/Glimt, a team from a region with a population of just 50,000, the Norwegian side confirmed their complete dominance over Inter Milan, whose elimination represents another blow to Italian football on the European stage this season.

Juventus and Atalanta remain the last hope for salvaging Italian football's reputation, despite the difficulty of their task in Wednesday's second-leg matches. Juventus lost 2-5 to Galatasaray of Turkey, while Atalanta fell 0-2 to Borussia Dortmund of Germany in the first leg.

A Historic victory 

After facing a formidable defensive performance in the first half, despair began to creep into Inter's play in the second half, while Bodø/Glimt displayed remarkable determination to continue their exciting run.

Hauge capitalized on a fatal error by Inter's Swiss defender Manuel Akanji, who misplaced a pass while marking the last defender. Ole Diederik Blomberg pounced on the ball, firing a shot that was parried by goalkeeper Yann Sommer, but the rebound fell to Hauge, who slotted it home for his sixth Champions League goal of the season (59').

Bodø Glimt then added a second goal with a curling shot past Yveen (72'), before Bastoni pulled one back (77'). However, it wasn't enough to prevent the Norwegian club from securing a historic victory at Inter's iconic home ground.

In Madrid, after a 1-1 draw at halftime, Norwegian striker Sørloth showcased his prowess with a brace in the second half (76th and 87th minutes), having opened the scoring himself in the 23rd minute. His American teammate, Jonny Cardozo, also put Atlético ahead early in the second half (48th minute), after Ecuadorian Joel Ordones had equalized for Club Brugge just before halftime (36th minute).

Atlético entered the match after a difficult first leg in Belgium last week, where they twice surrendered a lead before drawing 3-3.

Sørloth, who had also scored twice against Espanyol on Saturday in La Liga, now has 10 goals this year, despite being rotated by Simeone.

Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen also achieved their objective, securing a 0-0 draw against Greek side Olympiacos, capitalizing on their 2-0 first-leg victory to guarantee their qualification for the next round.

This marks the first time Leverkusen have progressed beyond a two-legged Champions League tie since reaching the final in 2002, where they lost 2-1 to Real Madrid.

The 2024 German double winners will face either fellow German side Bayern Munich or English club Arsenal in the round of 16.