A major upset occurred in Wednesday's Champions League play-off match. The leader of Italy's Serie A, Inter Milan, fell 1:3 to Norway's Bodo/Glimt. The match, played above the Arctic Circle in difficult weather conditions, exposed the weaknesses of last season's finalist. Piotr Zieliński came onto the pitch late in the game, and coach Cristian Chivu must face the specter of elimination and the injury of key striker Lautaro Martinez.

Shocking Result in Norway

Norwegian outsider Bodo/Glimt defeated Inter Milan 3:1, continuing its streak of home victories over European giants at the Aspmyra stadium.

Injury to Lautaro Martinez

Inter's captain left the pitch in the 61st minute with a calf injury, which coach Chivu described as a serious loss ahead of the return leg.

Sluggish Performance by Zieliński

The Polish midfielder entered the pitch in the 76th minute with the score at 1:3, but could not realistically influence the match result.

Norwegian Bodo/Glimt once again proved their home stadium is a „hell” for the biggest powers of European football. In the first play-off match for advancement to the knockout stage of the Champions League, the hosts defeated Inter Milan 3:1. Sondre Brunstad Fet opened the scoring in the 20th minute, capitalizing on an assist from Kasper Hogh. Although Inter managed to equalize thanks to Francesco Esposito, the second half belonged to the Norwegians, who scored two goals in just four minutes through strikes by Hauge and the aforementioned Hogh. FK Bodo/Glimt is a club founded in 1916 that became a phenomenon in European football after 2020, serially defeating teams with vastly higher budgets at home, such as AS Roma or Manchester City. Inter's situation ahead of the return leg at San Siro is extremely difficult, especially in light of reports on player health. Lautaro Martinez left the pitch with a calf injury, and coach Cristian Chivu did not hide his pessimism, describing the loss of the captain as „serious”. Serie A could lose all its representatives in this round, as Juventus and Atalanta also suffered defeats earlier. Polish international Piotr Zieliński only appeared on the pitch in the 76th minute, replacing Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but could not change the course of the contest. Champions League Play-off (February 18, 2026): Bodo/Glimt 3:1 Inter Milan Italian media criticized the team's performance, pointing out a mistake by Yann Sommer on the second goal and too many changes in the starting lineup. Despite playing on an artificial pitch in near-freezing temperatures, Inter was the clear favorite. Now the Milanese must hope for a „remontada” in Milan to avoid embarrassment and keep their hopes alive for ultimate triumph in the tournament. 3 — minutes of Inter's blackout cost them two goals„Lautaro, in my opinion, we have lost him, he suffered a serious injury. Now we must count our wounds, we have plenty of problems after this match.” — Cristian Chivu

Mentioned People

  • Piotr Zieliński — Polish midfielder for Inter Milan, who came on as a substitute in the 76th minute of the match against Bodo/Glimt.
  • Cristian Chivu — Coach of Inter Milan, who commented on the defeat and Lautaro Martinez's injury after the match.
  • Sondre Brunstad Fet — Midfielder for Bodo/Glimt, scorer of the first goal in the match against Inter.