Bodø/Glimt stun Manchester City in unforgettable Champions League night
On a freezing night by the Norwegian Sea, under skies more accustomed to northern lights than footballing royalty, Manchester City were humbled. Pep Guardiola’s side didn’t just lose — they were outplayed, outworked, and overwhelmed by a fearless Bodø/Glimt team on the artificial surface of Aspmyra Stadion.
This was one of those Champions League evenings that refuse to fade. A night when a small Arctic club bent European hierarchy and reminded the football world why this competition still produces magic.
Kasper Høgh was the chief tormentor, striking twice before the break, both goals born from the same ruthless pattern: speed down City’s left, a teasing delivery, and a striker who refused to miss. After half-time, Jens Petter Hauge added the moment that truly lit the fuse — gliding past a desperate challenge before bending an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
Even Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, was in attendance, watching a result that will be replayed in Bodø folklore for generations.
For context, this is a club that was playing in Norway’s second tier as recently as 2017. Now, under the steady guidance of Kjetil Knutsen, Bodø/Glimt are serial domestic champions and fearless continental disruptors. This victory over a side that lifted the Champions League just three seasons ago stands as their greatest achievement yet.
“We had to roll up our sleeves,” Knutsen said afterward. “This is a day our supporters will remember forever. But we stay calm — we’re still in pre-season.”
City, by contrast, looked rattled and strangely hollow. Guardiola had dismissed any talk of excuses — the pitch, the cold, the distance — yet his team struggled to adapt. Their early chances came and went: Rayan Cherki tested Nikita Haikin, Phil Foden missed a golden header, and Erling Haaland — returning to his homeland — was denied by the Bodø keeper when clean through.
Bodø needed no such generosity. Their precision was surgical, their belief unshakeable. Despite seeing just 31% of the ball in the first half, they led 2–0 and fully deserved it.
Guardiola made no immediate changes after the break, and Bodø sensed vulnerability. They poured forward, and though Haikin was finally beaten by Cherki’s low finish on the hour, City’s brief revival was short-lived. Rodri’s frustration boiled over — two cynical fouls, two yellow cards, and a red that summed up City’s unraveling night.
The hosts continued to threaten. Hauge rattled the bar. Høgh saw a hat-trick denied by the offside flag. The home crowd of 8,000 roared every challenge, every clearance, every forward run, while City faded into survival mode.
At full-time, Aspmyra erupted. Players collapsed, supporters sang, and Manchester City trudged off, stunned and schooled.
“This is deserved,” Haaland admitted afterward. “They were better. I didn’t do my job. It’s embarrassing.”
