European football was shaken after the Champions League round of 16 second legs. Inter Milan, last season's finalist, sensationally crashed out of the competition after two defeats to Norwegian side FK Bodo/Glimt. In the shadow of this humiliation, Polish clubs are preparing for their second legs in the Conference League, where Lech Poznań defends their lead, and Jagiellonia Białystok faces the near-impossible task of overturning their deficit in Florence.

Sensational Elimination of Inter

Favored Inter Milan crashed out of the Champions League after 1-3 and 1-2 defeats to Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt, sparking a wave of criticism in Italy.

Controversy Surrounding Zieliński

Piotr Zieliński became a target of criticism from Italian football legends for playing too slowly and lacking decisive actions in the second leg.

Historic Run by Norwegians

Bodo/Glimt is the first team in 50 years from outside the top leagues to win four consecutive matches against clubs from England, Spain, and Italy.

Polish Clubs' Preparations

Lech Poznań defends a 2-0 result against KuPS, while Jagiellonia Białystok will try to overturn a 0-3 deficit in an away match against Fiorentina.

Tuesday evening at San Siro will go down in history as one of the greatest sensations in modern Champions League history. Inter Milan, currently leading Serie A, failed to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg and lost again to FK Bodo/Glimt, this time 1-2. The Norwegian team, led by Kjetil Knutsen, confirmed their superiority after a 3-1 victory in the first encounter, triumphing 5-2 on aggregate. The hero of the match was Jens Petter Hauge, who scored a goal and provided an assist, silencing the 70,000 fans gathered in Milan. The performance of Piotr Zieliński, who played 62 minutes, became the subject of intense debate in the Italian media. While some outlets rated him as decent, football legends such as Zvonimir Boban and Fabio Capello did not spare criticism of the entire Inter team, accusing them of a lack of creativity and tactical sluggishness. The decisive moment of the second leg was a catastrophic error by defender Manuel Akanji in the 58th minute, which opened the way for the visitors to score. Media in Italy describe this defeat as "shame" and "historic fall," emphasizing the club's sporting and financial regression. FK Bodo/Glimt, a club from a city of just 50,000 inhabitants, has become the first team from outside Europe's top five leagues since Ajax Amsterdam in 1972 to win four consecutive matches against representatives of the strongest federations.Simultaneously in the Conference League, Polish clubs are preparing for Thursday's second legs. Lech Poznań, holding a two-goal lead from the match in Finland, hosts KuPS Kuopio. Coach Niels Frederiksen, however, warns against underestimating the opponent. In a much worse position is Jagiellonia Białystok, which, after a 0-3 home defeat to Fiorentina, travels to Italy with slim hopes of advancing. The Polish champion faces a dilemma regarding conserving energy ahead of a prestigious league clash with Legia Warsaw. „Nerazzurri byli zbyt schematyczni. Zabrakło im zadziorności. Zabrakło czegoś ekstra, co pozwoliłoby przejść dalej przeciwko rywalowi wyraźnie słabszemu.” (Nerazzurri were too schematic. They lacked bite. They lacked that extra something that would have allowed them to advance against a clearly weaker opponent.) — Zvonimir Boban In other Champions League matches, Newcastle United confirmed their dominance over Qarabag Agdam, winning the second leg 3-2. Polish goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski, despite a spirited performance, set an unfortunate record for the number of goals conceded in a single edition of the competition. Meanwhile, Atlético Madrid comfortably dismantled Club Brugge 4-1, correcting their mistake from the first match and booking their place in the round of 16.

Mentioned People

  • Piotr Zieliński — Polish national team player, Inter Milan midfielder, criticized after the match.
  • Cristian Chivu — Inter Milan coach, set to remain in his position despite the defeat.
  • Kjetil Knutsen — Bodo/Glimt coach, architect of the Norwegian club's success.
  • Niels Frederiksen — Lech Poznań coach, preparing the team for the Conference League second leg.
  • Mateusz Kochalski — Qarabag Agdam goalkeeper, who conceded a record number of goals in the Champions League.