Bodo Glimt’s fairytale Champions League run continued as Sporting were swept aside in the first leg of their last-16 tie in Norway.
It was a fifth straight win for the minnows who, in their debut season in the competition proper, sneaked into the play-off round by finishing 23rd in the league phase.
Bodo failed to win any of their opening six Champions League games, but produced remarkable victories over Manchester City and Atletico Madrid to book a play-off against last season’s finalists Inter Milan – and then beat the three-time winners home and away.
Kjetil Knutsen named the same XI which won those four games for a fifth time – something only Auxerre have previously done in the competition’s history 23 years ago.
Their visitors, depleted by injury and suspension, simply could not cope with the home side’s trademark high-energy, high-pressing approach and, most tellingly, their supreme patience in attacking possession.
Sporting’s leading scorer Luis Suarez had an effort from a fifth-minute corner deflected over the bar as the Lions swiftly found their feet on Aspmyra’s artificial pitch, with his link-up play with Francisco Trincao looking promising.
However, Jens Petter Hauge fizzed a volley past the upright at the other end following a fine pull-back from Hakon Evjen and his side soon began to turn the screw.
Sporting keeper Rui Silva needed to race off his line to thwart Evjen with his legs, while Luis Guilherme’s low shot was held by Nikita Haikin at the other end.
The game changed in the 32nd minute when visiting defender Georgios Vagiannidis was adjudged to have barged over Sondre Fet after Kasper Hogh’s lovely touch.
Following a video assistant referee (VAR) review, Fet picked himself up to coolly send Rui Silva the wrong way from the spot.
On the stroke of half-time Ole Blomberg cashed in on a deflected ball into the box with a wonderful first touch and silky finish to spark wild celebrations for the home crowd.
Sporting improved after the restart and responded with Suarez blazing wide of target from the left of the box and Trincao having a powerful shot blocked.
But back came Bodo as Hogh bundled home Hauge’s low cross in the 71st minute, while Hauge nearly curled a fourth late on.
They will head to Lisbon for the return next Tuesday, where the capacity at the Jose Alvalade Stadium could fit almost every resident of the fishing community they call home.
And where Bodo will be aiming to write another historic chapter in their wonderful story by booking a date with Arsenal or Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-final.
Source: BBC
