March 18 – In the round of 16 of the Champions League, Sporting Lisbon defeated Bodo/Glimt 5-0 after extra time to overturn a first-leg 3-0 defeat and end the Norwegians’ fairy tale run in Europe’s premier club competition.
The Norwegians had provided an antidote to the dominance of the super clubs in the Champions League with improbable victories against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in the league phase, and a playoff win against Inter Milan, but on Tuesday, their run came to an end as they brought back down to earth with to a heavy 5-0 defeat against Lisbon.
Bodo/Glimt had won the first leg 3-0, making the club from the Arctic circle the favourite to reach the last eight of the competition, but Sporting demolished their opponents with a comprehensive display in which they created chance after chance. Gonzalo Inacio, Pedro Goncalves and Luis Suarez – from the penalty spot – got Sporting’s first three goals to level the tie. In extra time, Maximiliano Araujo and Rafael Nel sealed Lisbon’s win.
“It’s a Sporting team that goes out and tramples on everything, and we think about the consequences from the first kick of the ball,” said Bodo/Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen. “It’s a passive and bad expression. We’re four numbers too small. That’s my responsibility. It’s brutal.”
The Portuguese will play Arsenal in the quarterfinals after the London club secured a comfortable 3-1 aggregate victory against Leverkusen after dispatching the Germans 2-0 with goals from Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice at the Emirates Stadium.
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