Champions League Shocker: Bodo/Glimt Dethrone Manchester City

To channel Bjorge Lillelien and his famous commentary on Norway’s win against England in 1981: Pep Guardiola, your Manchester City boys took a heck of a beating here on the shores of the Norwegian Sea, below the skies of the aurora borealis, and on the Aspmyra Stadion’s artificial pitch graced by this immortal Bodo/Glimt victory which downed a continental superpower. Jonas Gahr Støre was present to witness a win that came courtesy of Kasper Hogh’s two first-half goals plus Jens Petter Hauge’s curled peach after the interval, as Norway’s prime minister escaped Donald Trump’s curious obsession with the Nobel peace prize: another measure of how this result will never be forgotten. To comprehend Bodo’s triumph, think Macclesfield’s FA Cup third round knockout of the holders, Crystal Palace; Guardiola’s team are not the European champions but they were three years ago, the same season they claimed a historic treble. In 2017 Bodo/Glimt played in Norway’s second tier, but by last year – having never won the national championship before this run – they were the four-in-a-row Eliteserien victors under Kjetil Knutsen. Now, after their most famous scalp, they have seven points, keeping their dream of progression alive, while City remain on 13, so entering the last 16 directly remains in the balance. Knutsen’s men went close to a dream start. Rayan Cherki was upended in midfield, Bodo broke and Hogh, then Ole Didrik Blomberg, shot. City replied almost immediately. This time a Cherki snapshot was saved low by Nikita Haikin; Phil Foden dropped the resulting corner towards Max Alleyne’s head yet with a gaping goal he failed to connect. Erling Haaland – brought up in Byrne, about 1,800km south of here – was next put in along a right hand channel the No 9 swivelled and chipped but Haikin gathered. Haaland, who scored against this opposition in his Molde days, was targeted by team-mates who aimed high balls for him to try to hit home. Now Bodo did – twice – through near-carbon copy moves. Each time City’s defence was exposed down its left, where Alleyne and Nico O’Reilly allowed Blomberg to scoop over crosses. Hogh’s first finish was a header, from a tight angle, to the left of goal. The second was more central, a little further out, and as composed, with his right boot. Gianluigi Donnarumma was left exposed between City’s posts for both. Cue bedlam from all inside the 8,000-capacity Aspmyra Stadion, minus the 404 travelling faithful who were as stunned as Guardiola was anguished, the manager twisting in despair. He had offered a no excuses line regarding the surface and the plunging temperatures; for this fishing village 80km north of the Arctic Circle the -1 degree at kick-off was actually temperate. When Bodo again tore through City’s defence – this time leaving Abdukodir Khusanov to chase Hogh – you wondered whether Guardiola might change at the break to try to halt the havoc being wreaked. When Sven Jablonski blew for half-time, Rodri’s moan to the German referee was emblematic of the state City were in – Bodo’s 31 per cent possession telling the tale of their smash-and-grab act. Guardiola made zero adjustments for the second period, then watched Rodri aim a diagonal straight to a yellow shirt that caused him more despair. After Tijjani Reijnders’ effort went weakly into Haikin’s gloves, Bodo swarmed forward. Only Donnarumma’s leg thwarted Hakon Evjen, then the offside flag (correctly) denied Hogh a hat-trick goal. As with Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Manchester United, City were flat, bereft of fight and spark, and when Hauge ghosted past a flailing Rodri, the finish beyond Donnarumma rocketed into the top-right corner and Bodo were in fantasy land. At last City responded, Cherki’s low drive beating Haikin to his right. It came on 60 minutes, 120 seconds after Hauge’s strike. In the next 120, Rodri drew two bookings, both for similar cynical fouls to halt Bodo breaks, and off the captain went. This was all breathless. Hauge hit the bar, then Hogh had a second goal wiped out for offside before Foden, again a non-factor, was replaced by Omar Marmoush. Yet when Haaland hoofed over it was one of countless openings City spurned. Beforehand, the statistic was that Haaland had scored more goals in the Champions League – 55 in 54 outings – than all Norwegian teams since the 2000-01 season – 48 in 42 games). At the end this meant nothing as the delirious home support partied and City wandered off, schooled and embarrassed. The result and buccaneering style of it was scintillating and is precisely why the sport can transfix. Meanwhile at the San Siro, Arsenal maintained their ​perfect run in the Champions League with a 3-1 ‍win over Inter Milan as Gabriel Jesus scored a first-half double to leave Viktor Gyokeres to wrap up the victory late ‌on. A seventh win from seven guarantees Arsenal a ⁠top-two finish in the league phase, giving them ​home ‍advantage in the second leg all the way through to the semi-finals. Mikel Arteta’s side now sit top of ⁠the standings on 21 points, six ahead ⁠of Bayern Munich who ⁠host Union Saint-Gilloise on Wednesday, while Inter dropped to ninth in the table on 12 points. Jesus finished off a scuffed effort by ‍Jurrien Timber to give Arsenal a 10th-minute lead. Petar Sucic levelled eight minutes later only for Jesus to put the visitors back in front with a header from a corner ‌14 minutes before ‌the break. Substitute Gyokeres wrapped up the win with a stunning finish from ‌outside the area six minutes from time. And in London, Tottenham Hotspur took a 2-0 win over a 10-man Dortmund. Cristian Romero got Spurs on the board in the 14th minute and within 15 minutes Dormund’s task was made all the more formidable when Daniel Svensson was shown red. Dominic Solanke slotted a second for the home side on 37 minutes. – Guardian & Reuters