Manchester City suffered a bruising Champions League night in the Arctic Circle as Norway’s Bodø/Glimt produced one of the shocks of the season with a deserved 3–1 victory at the Aspmyra Stadion.
Playing in freezing conditions on an artificial pitch, City were second best for long spells as the Norwegian champions outworked, outthought and outscored Pep Guardiola’s side, leaving the English champions facing uncomfortable questions about their European campaign.
Bodø/Glimt struck first in the 22nd minute through Kasper Høgh. A simple ball over the top exposed City’s fragile back line, and the unmarked striker powered a downward header past Gianluigi Donnarumma to send the home fans into raptures.
Just two minutes later, Høgh doubled his tally and Bodø/Glimt’s lead. Defensive hesitancy from Max Alleyne allowed Ole Blomberg to pounce, surge forward and square for Høgh, who calmly clipped the ball beyond a stranded Donnarumma to make it 2–0.
City, who struggled to cope with Bodø/Glimt’s pace and direct running, reached half-time fortunate not to be further behind. Erling Haaland cut a frustrated figure, feeding off scraps against a disciplined home defence.
The second half began no better for Guardiola’s men. In the 58th minute, Jens Petter Hauge capitalised on a Rodri mistake, weaving past several defenders before unleashing a superb strike from outside the box into the top corner to make it 3–0.
City briefly showed signs of life when Rayan Cherki pulled one back with a deflected effort on the hour mark, but any hopes of a comeback were extinguished moments later when Rodri was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Reduced to ten men, City huffed and puffed without real conviction as Bodø/Glimt continued to threaten on the counter, even having a fourth goal ruled out for offside.
The final whistle confirmed a famous European night for Bodø/Glimt and a humbling defeat for Manchester City, who were outplayed in intensity, organisation and belief.
