Bodø/Glimt stun Inter to cap all-time UCL giant-killing as we revisit the greatest two-legged upsets ever

OSLO — When the Champions League draw paired debutants Bodø/Glimt with serial contenders Inter Milan, few imagined the Arctic circle club would still be dancing in Europe come March. Yet a 3-1 home triumph at Aspmyra and a swaggering 2-0 victory at San Siro have propelled the Norwegians into the last 16 and carved their name into the competition’s folklore as the authors of one of the most startling two-legged eliminations in the modern era.

The aggregate 5-1 success becomes the latest entry in a pantheon of famous reversals that have shaped the tournament’s narrative. Dynamo Kyiv’s 1998-99 dismantling of holders Real Madrid, inspired by a young Andriy Shevchenko, remains a benchmark: after a 1-1 draw at the Bernabéu, Shevchenko’s double sealed a 2-0 second-leg win and a semi-final berth, where Valeriy Lobanovskiy’s side pushed Bayern Munich to the brink before bowing out 4-3 on aggregate.

Deportivo La Coruña authored an even more visceral shock in 2004. Mauled 4-1 at San Siro by reigning champions AC Milan, the Galicians produced a whirlwind return at Estadio Riazor. Walter Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valerón and Albert Luque struck inside 34 minutes to level the tie, and Fran’s second-half header completed a 4-0 second-leg rout that sent the star-studded Rossoneri packing.

Monaco’s 2004 quarter-final against Real Madrid delivered its own script twist. A 4-2 first-leg deficit at the Bernabéu looked decisive until Ludovic Giuly’s brace and a thumping header from loanee Fernando Morientes—ironically property of the Spanish giants—flipped the tie on away goals. The principality club rode that momentum past Chelsea in the semi-finals before falling to José Mourinho’s Porto in the final.

Ajax’s 2019 round-of-16 triumph over a Madrid side chasing a fourth consecutive crown was no less dramatic. After a 2-1 first-leg loss in Amsterdam, the Dutch giants—spurred by Dusan Tadic’s masterclass—stormed the Bernabéu 4-1, ending a 22-year wait for a successful knockout tie and prompting an inquest into Sergio Ramos’s deliberate booking that cost him a suspension he intended to serve in a quarter-final that never arrived.

Bodø/Glimt’s chapter is every bit as cinematic. Having scraped through the league phase without a victory in their opening six matches, back-to-back upsets of Manchester City and Atlético Madrid nudged Kjetil Knutsen’s side into the play-off round. Drawn against Inter, Serie A pacesetters and finalists in two of the last three seasons, the Norwegians seized a 3-1 cushion in the Arctic night, then flew south and silenced 75,000 at San Siro through goals from Jens Petter Hauge and Håkon Evjen.

The result not only ejects Simone Inzaghi’s outfit but also anoints the tournament’s newest giant-killers, a reminder that in the Champions League, pedigree can unravel when met by fearlessness and frozen resolve.