Klinsmann: Inter exit to Bodø/Glimt ‘hugely embarrassing’ (1:32)Jurgen Klinsmann brands Inter’s Champions League exit at the hands of Bodø/Glimt as a “catastrophe” for the Serie A leaders. (1:32)
Chris WrightFeb 25, 2026, 09:00 AM ETMultiple Authors
1997-98: Monaco vs. Manchester United (1-1 on aggregate, Monaco win on away goals)
2003-04: Monaco vs. Real Madrid (5-5 agg., Monaco win on away goals)
2005-06: Villarreal vs. Inter Milan (2-2 agg., Villarreal win on away goals)
2001-12: Apoel Nicosia vs. Lyon (1-1 agg., Apeol win 4-3 on penalties)
2016-17: Monaco v Manchester City (6-6 agg., Monaco win on away goals)
Bodo/Glimt pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UEFA Champions League history as they produced a fantastic performance over two legs to send last season’s finalists, Inter Milan, out of the knockout-round playoffs on Tuesday.
Bodo/Glimt have already proven themselves capable of beating City this campaign, having dished out a 3-1 defeat to Pep Guardiola’s side in the group stage, and that was after fellow Champions League stalwarts Atlético Madrid had also felt the wrath of Kjetil Knutsen’s Nordic underdogs.
– The secret behind Bodo/Glimt’s European success – Back at the Bernabéu: Could Mourinho coach Real Madrid again? – How Shakhtar keep signing Brazilians amid ongoing Ukraine conflict
Amazingly, the Champions League has provided Bodo/Glimt with the only three competitive fixtures they’ve played in 2026 thus far, as the Norwegian domestic season came to an end in November to avoid playing through the depths of winter.
To call Bodo/Glimt’s achievement monumental is something of an understatement — but where does their elimination of three-time winners Inter rank in comparison to some of the other great Champions League knockout upsets?
After drawing 1-1 in the first leg at the Bernabéu, Dynamo followed through by producing a famous 2-0 victory at the Olympic Stadium to oust Real Madrid from the quarterfinals of the 1998-99 Champions League. Prodigious young forward Andriy Shevchenko scored all three of Dynamo’s goals across the two legs and was promptly snapped up by AC Milan the following season after finishing as the competition’s top goal scorer.
Monaco silenced Old Trafford in the second leg of the 1997-98 quarterfinals when an early goal gave the visitors an unlikely advantage against the Premier League heavyweights. After the first leg had finished goalless, the Ligue 1 side nudged themselves ahead after just five minutes of the second thanks to a quickfire strike from David Trézéguet, which meant United faced the task of scoring twice to nullify the away-goals rule. Sir Alex Ferguson’s star-studded side of David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer huffed and puffed but were only able to claw one back on the night. It wasn’t enough and the final whistle saw United forced to slump away down the tunnel in front of their disbelieving fans.
Deportivo looked well and truly sunk when they lost 4-1 in the first leg of their 2003-04 quarterfinal against holders AC Milan only to stage one of the competition’s greatest ever comebacks in the second leg. Unanswered goals from Walter Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valeron, Alberto Luque and Fran saw Depor raise themselves from the dead to stun the Rossoneri at the Estadio Riazor and salvage an improbable 5-4 aggregate turnaround. Unfortunately, it all came to an abrupt end in the semis when eventual Champions League winners Porto knocked them out.
Real Madrid looked on course to sail into the semifinals when they trounced Monaco 4-2 at the Bernabéu in the first leg of the 2003-04 quarters. The Ligue 1 side then fell further behind 36 minutes into the second leg when Raúl put Real 5-2 overall. However, Monaco dug deep, rallied and gradually saw momentum begin to swing back in their favour as two goals from Ludovic Guily either side of a header from Fernando Morientes (who was on loan from Madrid at the time) saw Didier Deschamps’s side come hurtling back on the rails to pinch the most unlikely aggregate win.
Klinsmann: Inter exit to Bodø/Glimt ‘hugely embarrassing’ (1:32)Jurgen Klinsmann brands Inter’s Champions League exit at the hands of Bodø/Glimt as a “catastrophe” for the Serie A leaders. (1:32)
Jurgen Klinsmann brands Inter’s Champions League exit at the hands of Bodø/Glimt as a “catastrophe” for the Serie A leaders. (1:32)
2003-04: Deportivo La Coruña vs. AC Milan (5-4 agg.)
After finishing second in their group behind Bayern Munich, Ajax faced another stern test in the round of 16 when they were pitted against the mighty Real Madrid. Marco Asensio looked to have put Los Blancos on course to reach the quarterfinals for the ninth consecutive season when he notched a late winner in the first leg in Amsterdam. However, Erik ten Hag’s side may have been down but they certainly were not out and a rampaging 4-1 second-leg victory was enough to stun the Bernabéu and send the Dutch giants into the next round at Madrid’s expense.
Chris WrightFeb 25, 2026, 09:00 AM ETMultiple Authors
The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic meant that all of the quarterfinals, semis and final of the 2019-20 Champions League season were contested as single-leg ties in a mini-tournament in Portugal. Despite City desperately chasing their first Champions League triumph, it was Lyon that went ahead early on at Lisbon’s Estadio José Alvalade to give them a slender lead that they managed to maintain deep into the second half. Kevin De Bruyne did manage to haul the Premier League side back level with 20 minutes left to play. However, rather than fuelling any kind of stirring City comeback, it was Lyon who imbued themselves with fresh impetus and duly finished off the tie in style with two late goals from former Fulham youth player Moussa Dembélé.