Manchester City suffered a humiliating 3–1 defeat to Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt in a UEFA Champions League group-stage clash on Tuesday night at the Aspmyra Stadion.
A first-half brace from Kasper Høgh and a second-half strike by Jens Petter Hauge sealed one of the biggest upsets in recent Champions League history.
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Rayan Cherki briefly offered City hope with a goal moments after Hauge’s effort, but Rodri’s dismissal for two bookable offences left Pep Guardiola’s side in disarray as Bodo/Glimt celebrated their first-ever Champions League group-stage victory.
Played in freezing conditions of minus two degrees in a fishing town located 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, the 2023 European champions were caught cold.
Bodo’s entire population of just 55,000 could almost fit inside Man City’s Etihad Stadium, yet the underdogs defied the vast financial and pedigree gap between the two clubs.
Under head coach Kjetil Knutsen, Bodo/Glimt pressed relentlessly and punished City’s lack of intensity. Despite not having played competitive football since December, following the end of the Norwegian season, the hosts delivered a fearless performance that underlined their remarkable rise over the past decade.
Guardiola’s side travelled to Norway earlier than usual to acclimatise and train on Bodo/Glimt’s artificial pitch, but they looked disjointed and out of rhythm throughout the contest, continuing what has been an increasingly troubled campaign.
The defeat compounds Man City’s poor form, with the Premier League giants winless in their last four league matches and seven points adrift of leaders Arsenal following Saturday’s 2–0 loss to Manchester United.
City will conclude their group-stage campaign at home to Galatasaray on January 28, as they bid to secure an automatic place in the last 16 with a top-eight finish.
