Bodo/Glimt dumped last season’s finalists Inter Milan out of the Champions League with a remarkable 2-1 win at the San Siro in their playoff second leg on Tuesday that sealed a stunning 5-2 aggregate triumph for the Norwegian minnows.

Having stunned Inter with a 3-1 victory in the first leg in Bodo, the visitors increased their aggregate advantage when Jens Petter Hauge fired home a rebound in the 58th minute and they were in dreamland 14 minutes later when Haakon Evjen effectively put the tie to bed and sent them into the last 16.

The team from the Arctic Circle have been the fairytale story of this season’s competition, having sneaked into the playoffs with stunning victories over Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in their final two league-phase matches.

“It has been a journey. There is a large group of us who have been part of it. There are unbelievably many people behind this who have such strong belief in the project,” Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen said to TV2.

After making it three wins in a row in the competition in the first leg against Inter, the Norwegian side named an unchanged starting lineup for the return fixture.

It turned into a relatively comfortable evening for the visitors, who rarely looked in danger of missing out on a first Champions League last-16 appearance as they became the first Norwegian side to advance from a knockout tie in the competition.

“Look at that amazing group. It’s surreal and insanely cool, I don’t know what to say,” goalscorer Evjen said, while team captain Patrick Berg added that it was “the biggest thing I’ve experienced in the course of my career.”

INTER DOMINATE EARLY STAGES

Needing goals, Inter were on the front foot immediately, with Pio Esposito heading over from a cross inside the opening minutes as the home crowd roared them forward.

Inter dominated the opening spell and Marcus Thuram went close with a curler after 15 minutes.

Yet despite the home side’s relentless pressure, the score remained goalless at the break.

Inter continued to press after the restart, and had a penalty appeal for handball turned down when Manuel Akanji’s effort was blocked by Fredrik Sjoevold, with the VAR agreeing with the referee’s decision not to award a spot kick.

Under sustained pressure, the visitors struck in the 58th minute when Ole Didrik Blomberg seized on a loose pass on the edge of the Inter area and drove at goal. Yann Sommer pushed his shot away but Hauge reacted quickest to convert the rebound from close range.

Evjen put the result beyond doubt in the 72nd minute, guiding a precise right-footed effort into the far bottom corner and while Alessandro Bastoni pulled a goal back for Inter in the 77th minute, it proved too late to alter their fate.

“We conceded a goal with an individual error, it happens in football, but the most difficult thing was to break the deadlock and we didn’t do it. Bodo deserve congratulations, they beat us home and away, so clearly they deserved to go through,” Nicolo Barella told Sky Sport Italia.

Newcastle through to last 16 9-3 on aggregate

Newcastle United took their place in the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time after beating Qarabag 3-2 at St. James’ Park on Tuesday for a 9-3 on aggregate win.

The outcome was never in doubt after Newcastle thrashed Qarabag 6-1 in the first leg of the playoff in Baku last week but expectations of a second goal rush proved short-lived after a promising start.

Newcastle were 2-0 up with the fans in full party mode after six minutes, the two goals coming in the space of 80 seconds from Sandro Tonali in the fourth minute and Joelinton on the volley in the sixth.

Unlike in Baku, where Newcastle were already 5-0 up at half-time, the Magpies then eased off and allowed Qarabag back into the match as the expected second leg thrashing failed to materialise.

Camilo Duran pulled a goal back for the visitors in the 50th but Newcastle responded instantly with a powerful header from Sven Botman scoring his first Champions League goal two minutes later.

Manager Eddie Howe brought Anthony Gordon, the four-goal hero from the first leg, off the bench in the 54th minute in place of Joelinton with the score at 3-1, but the change had little impact.

The scoreline became 3-2 three minutes later when Elvin Jafarguliyev scored with a left-footed shot after Aaron Ramsdale had saved a penalty from Marko Jankovic following a Dan Burn handball.

Newcastle will now play Barcelona or Chelsea in the knockout stages.

Results and fixtures for the UEFA Champions League

Atlético de Madrid (1) 4 Club Brugge (1) 1
…. aggregate: 7-4
Atlético de Madrid win
Bayer Leverkusen (0) 0 Olympiakos Piraeus (0) 0
…. aggregate: 2-0
Newcastle United (2) 3 Qarabağ (0) 2
…. aggregate: 9-3
Newcastle United win
Internazionale (0) 1 Bodø / Glimt (0) 2
…. aggregate: 2-5
Bodø / Glimt win

Wednesday, February 25 fixtures (CET/GMT)
Atalanta v Borussia Dortmund (1745)
Juventus v Galatasaray (2000)
Paris Saint-Germain v Monaco (2000)
Real Madrid v Benfica (2000)