Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt delivered one of the biggest surprises in Champions League history on Tuesday night, beating Manchester City 3-1 in freezing conditions at the Aspmyra Stadium.
Playing on an artificial pitch inside the Arctic Circle and in temperatures of minus nine degrees Celsius, Pep Guardiola’s youthful City side struggled badly as debutants Bodo/Glimt outplayed and outworked the Premier League champions to claim a landmark victory.
The result compounded City’s difficult run of form, coming just days after their derby defeat to Manchester United, and leaves their qualification hopes hanging ahead of the final group game.
First-half blitz stuns city
Bodo/Glimt took control midway through the first half and never looked back. Kasper Hogh opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, heading home at the back post after Ole Didrik Blomberg’s looping cross caught City’s defence flat-footed.
Just two minutes later, City gifted the hosts a second goal. Young defender Max Alleyne lost possession deep in his own half, allowing Blomberg to square for Hogh, who finished confidently first time to make it 2-0.
Hogh nearly completed a first-half hat-trick before the half-hour mark, but his close-range effort was smothered on the line by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
City, meanwhile, failed to respond. Erling Haaland missed a clear chance before the break, summing up a quiet night for the striker on his return to Norway.
Hauge seals famous night
The home side put the game beyond doubt early in the second half. Jens Petter Hauge produced a moment of quality, cutting inside and curling a superb shot into the top corner to make it 3-0 and send the home crowd into raptures.
Rayan Cherki pulled one back for City, but any hopes of a comeback ended when Rodri was sent off for two bookable offences, leaving the visitors a man down.
City errors, Glimt history
Bodo/Glimt fully deserved the win, pressing aggressively and exploiting City’s defensive errors throughout.
The Norwegian side, playing their first-ever Champions League campaign, had never won a main-stage match in the competition before this game.
For City, the defeat underlined growing concerns. Guardiola’s starting XI, the youngest he has ever named in the Champions League, looked overwhelmed, while individual mistakes proved costly.