Sporting CP produced one of the most remarkable comebacks of this season’s UEFA Champions League after overturning a three-goal first-leg deficit to beat Bodo/Glimt 5-0 after extra time and progress 5-3 on aggregate to the quarter finals.
The Portuguese side knew they needed a fast start and immediately took the initiative, creating early openings through Francisco Trincao as they looked to put the Norwegian visitors under pressure from the first whistle.
Sporting’s attacking intent left them exposed at times, and Bodo/Glimt nearly punished them on the counter, with Kasper Hogh going close to delivering what could have been a decisive away goal.
What a comeback by Sporting CP 😳#UCL pic.twitter.com/3wVRwYuxi9
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 17, 2026
However, the breakthrough finally arrived just beyond the half-hour mark when Goncalo Inacio rose well to head home from a corner and give the hosts the lead on the night.
Bodo/Glimt almost responded instantly in dramatic fashion, only for Odin Bjortuft to see his effort strike the crossbar twice in an extraordinary moment that summed up the tension of the contest.
Sporting continued to push after the break and reduced the aggregate deficit to just one goal in the 61st minute when Pedro Goncalves finished from close range after a well-worked move involving Luis Suarez.
As the pressure mounted, Bodo/Glimt were forced deeper and deeper, desperately trying to protect their overall advantage. But with the game heading towards its closing stages, a VAR review awarded Sporting a penalty for handball against Fredrik Andre Bjorkan, and Suarez made no mistake from the spot to level the tie on aggregate.
That goal completely shifted the momentum in Sporting’s favour and the home side nearly won it in normal time, only for substitute Nuno Santos to crash an effort against the post.
Extra time brought the decisive moment almost immediately. Maximiliano Araujo caught goalkeeper Nikita Haikin out at his near post to score Sporting’s fourth on the night and complete a stunning aggregate turnaround.
Any remaining hopes of a Bodo/Glimt response were ended in stoppage time of extra time when substitute Rafael Nel added a fifth goal to seal a memorable victory for the Portuguese champions.
The result sends Sporting into the Champions League quarter finals and sees them become only the fifth team in the competition’s history to overturn a three-goal deficit in a knockout tie. For Bodo/Glimt, it was a heartbreaking end to what had been a dream European run, with the Norwegian side falling short of a historic place in the last eight.
