It was a historic night in the UEFA Champions League as Norway’s Bodø/Glimt headlined a dramatic set of knockout phase play-off deciders on Tuesday, while Atlético de Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Newcastle United also secured their places in the round of 16.
Atlético Power Past Brugge
Atlético de Madrid produced a commanding 4-1 win over Club Brugge (7-4 on aggregate), inspired by a sensational hat-trick from Alexander Sørloth.
Sørloth opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, latching onto a long ball from Jan Oblak before holding off his marker and finishing clinically. Brugge responded through Joel Ordoñez, but Atleti regained control after the restart via Johnny Cardoso. Sørloth struck twice more late on to seal the tie and claim Player of the Match honours.
Diego Simeone’s side will now face either Liverpool or Tottenham in the next round.
Leverkusen Shut Out Olympiacos
Bodø/Glimt Stun Inter
The biggest shock of the night came at San Siro, where Bodø/Glimt defeated Inter Milan 2-1 (5-2 aggregate) to reach the last 16 for the first time in their history.
Jens Petter Hauge opened the scoring with a close-range finish before Håkon Evjen doubled the lead with a classy strike. Inter rallied late through Alessandro Bastoni, but Kjetil Knutsen’s men held firm to script a famous European night.
Hauge was named Player of the Match for his standout performance.
Newcastle Cruise Through
Newcastle United completed a dominant 9-3 aggregate victory over Qarabağ FK after a 3-2 win at St James’ Park.
Goals from Sandro Tonali and Joelinton inside six minutes effectively ended the contest. Further exchanges in the second half ensured one of the highest-scoring ties in Champions League history. Tonali was named Player of the Match.
Newcastle will face either Chelsea or Barcelona in the next round.
Leverkusen Shut Out Olympiacos
Bayer Leverkusen played out a goalless draw against Olympiacos to advance 2-0 on aggregate at the BayArena.
Despite sustained first-half pressure from the visitors, Leverkusen remained defensively solid to register their fifth clean sheet in seven Champions League matches. Goalkeeper Janis Blaswich made crucial saves, while Alejandro Grimaldo earned Player of the Match recognition.
The German side will meet either Arsenal or Bayern München in the round of 16.
Who’s Through?
The league phase top eight — Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern München, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Sporting CP and Tottenham — have already secured their spots.
They are now joined by Atlético de Madrid, Bodø/Glimt, Bayer Leverkusen and Newcastle United, with four more teams to be confirmed.
The draw for the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will take place on Friday.
Wednesday’s Fixtures
Atalanta vs Borussia Dortmund
Juventus vs Galatasaray
Paris vs Monaco
Real Madrid vs Benfica
The road to European glory is heating up.
Source: UEFA Champions League
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