The impressive Champions League fairytale of underdog Bodø/Glimt came to an abrupt end.
The Norwegian underdog squandered their comfortable 3-0 first-leg lead in the Champions League Round of 16 return match against Sporting Lisbon, exiting the competition after a 5-0 defeat (0-3 in regular time, 0-1 in extra time). Sporting Lisbon thus became only the fifth club since the competition’s re-establishment in 1992 to overcome a deficit of three or more goals.
Gonçalo Inácio (34th minute), Pedro Gonçalves (61st), Luis Suárez (78th, penalty for handball), Maxi Araujo (92nd), and Rafael Nel (120th+1) secured Sporting’s seemingly impossible quarter-final ticket in torrential rain. In the quarter-finals, Lisbon will face the winner of the tie between Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal (first leg 1-1). The quarter-final matches are scheduled for April 7th/8th and 14th/15th.
Bodø/Glimt started with a Champions League first: they fielded the same starting eleven for the sixth consecutive time, a feat no team had previously achieved. Sporting, however, immediately put them under pressure and created numerous high-quality scoring opportunities.
Defender Inácio headed in the opening goal following a corner kick. The 24-year-old set a new club record with his 29th Champions League appearance. Odin Björtuft (42nd) missed a rare equalizer opportunity, as his header twice rattled the crossbar.
Gonçalves doubled the lead after a beautifully crafted attack. The 3-0 equalizer came from a penalty awarded for a handball by Fredrik Björkan. Sporting played with immense intensity during this period. Nuno Santos (83rd) hit the post before extra time sealed the final decision.
With this comeback, Lisbon joined an exclusive list. Deportivo La Coruña first managed to overturn a deficit of three or more goals in 2004, prevailing against AC Milan (1-4 in the first leg, 4-0 in the second). In 2017, FC Barcelona achieved this feat against Paris Saint-Germain (0-4/6-1). However, a year later, Barça themselves dramatically succumbed to AS Roma (4-1/0-3). And in 2019, the Catalans were again the ‘victim’ of such a comeback, this time against Liverpool (3-0/0-4).