Some nights everything happens. Other nights one game swallows the lot.
This Champions League second leg should’ve confirmed the pecking order. Newcastle had a comfortable lead, so did Leverkusen. Inter needed to overturn Bodø/Glimt after that 3-1 in Norway.
What followed was a monumental upset. And a nasty slap for Italian football.
San Siro goes from hope to silence
Beaten in the first leg, Inter Milan came out swinging. High press, Dimarco whipping crosses, Barella and Frattesi surging forward. Haikin kept out shot after shot. Bisseck had one cleared off the line. Akanji rattled the post.
The crowd pushed. Hope grew.
But FK Bodø/Glimt wouldn’t bend. Then, on 58 minutes, it all flipped.
Akanji’s calamitous pass. Hauge pounces. 0-1. San Siro freezes.
Then the perfect counter. Hauge threads Evjen through the middle. A drilled finish. 0-2.
Bastoni nicked one back from a corner. 1-2. Too late. Too fragile. Aggregate 5-2. Sent packing.
This wasn’t a fluke. It was a collective masterclass against a tight, trembling Italian side.
Newcastle tames the chaos at St James’ Park
At St James’ Park Newcastle had already done the heavy lifting in the first leg (6-1). The return with Qarabağ FK was livelier than expected.
Tonali opened the scoring in the 4th minute. Joelinton made it two straight after. 2-0 inside six minutes. Intense press, classic English tempo.
Qarabağ refused to lie down. They pulled one back, won a penalty, and converted the rebound. 3-2 on the night.
The show had drama and threat, but the tie was never really in danger. Newcastle go through.
Leverkusen in control, quietly
At the BayArena, Bayer 04 Leverkusen didn’t chase fireworks. With a 2-0 cushion from Greece, the Germans managed the tempo against Olympiakos.
0-0. Management. Discipline. Schick and Hofmann tested Tzolakis; Blaswich was there when needed.
Less flashy than Milan or Newcastle, but terrifyingly composed. Leverkusen progress in Europe with calm.
The shock came from Norway
The real story of the night was Bodø/Glimt.
Smart pressing, lightning transitions, ice-cold heads at the key moments. Kjetil Knutsen’s side didn’t luck into the result. They built it.
Inter, recent finalists, leave the continental stage with huge regrets. Shaky defence, chronic wastefulness, flimsy emotional control.
This exit is more than a scoreline. It questions the actual level of Italian football against Europe’s rising forces.
While Newcastle and Leverkusen advance as expected, Bodø/Glimt are writing a bit of history.
And they reminded Europe of a simple truth. In the Champions League, nothing’s guaranteed.
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