Sporting CP stage comeback to end Bodo/Glimt UCL run

Bodo/Glimt’s historic run in the Champions League was brought to an end by a Sporting side who superbly battled back from a three-goal first-leg deficit to win in extra-time and reach the quarter-finals for the first time.

Norwegians Bodo/Glimt had been one of the stories of this season’s competition, having become the first team from their country to reach the knockouts on their debut appearance, having beaten last year’s finalists Inter Milan in the play-offs.

They continued their dream run by beating Sporting 3-0 in the first leg of this tie, but knew they faced a more difficult task in Portugal.

So it proved as the Bodo goal was peppered with shots in the first half before Sporting made the breakthrough when Goncalo Inacio headed in.

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The visitors spent much of the first 45 minutes defending, but did hit the woodwork through Odin Bjortuft’s header from their first corner of the game.

But Sporting ensured there would be a nervous final 30 minutes when Luis Suarez squared for Pedro Goncalves to fire into the roof of the net and move Sporting to within one goal of levelling the tie.

From then on it was wave after wave of Sporting attacks, and they levelled the tie on aggregate when Suarez coolly scored from the penalty spot after Fredrik Bjorkan was adjudged to have handled the ball after a review by the video assistant referee.

Sporting pushed for a winner in normal time, and Nuno Santos struck the base of the post with a shot from outside the box.

But while extra-time was needed, Sporting struck in the 92nd minute when Maxi Araujo drove in to put the hosts ahead on aggregate, before Rafael Nel’s late finish sealed the comeback win and ended Bodo/Glimt’s fairytale Champions League run.

Bodo/Glimt have been one of the stories of this year’s Champions League and have put themselves in a prime position to continue their stunning run in the competition by winning 3-0 in the first leg of this last-16 tie.

But Sporting are a formidable side on home soil, having won their last 14 games there in all competitions.

Even so, overturning a three-goal deficit was a big ask – before this season’s last 16, there had been 51 occasions of a team losing the first leg of a Champions League knockout tie by three or more goals and just four of those – Deportivo de La Coruña in 2003-04, Barcelona in 2016-17, Roma in 2017-18 and Liverpool in 2018-19 – had progressed to the next round.

But the Sporting players looked unconcerned by the statistics as they set about getting that first goal from the outset, although it took until the 34th minute for them to break the deadlock.

Inacio’s goal was crucial for putting the comeback within reach for the hosts, and in the second half, they launched relentless attacks on the Bodo/Glimt goal, deservedly getting back level on aggregate.

Bodo/Glimt had shown their fighting spirit in Champions League games prior to this one, but this was ultimately a battle too far.