Our Champions League Awards honour the best – and worst – of the midweek action, featuring Bodo/Glimt, Alexander Sorloth and Vinicius Junior.
Moment of the Week
You just can’t beat an underdog story, can you? Bodo/Glimt made history (again) after upsetting the odds to eliminate Inter Milan this week. The debutant team from the tiny Norwegian town just north of the Arctic circle beat the three-time European champions and last season’s finalists in both legs to progress to the Round of 16.
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A stunning win at San Siro confirmed their passage to the next stage, in a remarkable run for Kjetil Knutsen’s side.
Incredibly, Bodo had failed to win in their first six games of this season’s Champions League, but have been unstoppable since claiming their first-ever win in the competition last month.
Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Inter (twice) have all been beaten, with Bodo becoming the first team from outside Europe’s top five leagues to win four consecutive Champions League games against teams from those divisions in 54 years.
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The last team to achieve that feat was Ajax, who went on to be crowned European champions…
Player of the Week
Alexander Sorloth might just be one of the most underrated centre-forwards in Europe. The Norwegian has come a long way since his early struggles at Crystal Palace, and delivered again for Atletico Madrid on the big stage this week.
A hat-trick from Sorloth secured the Spaniards a place in the Round of 16 after a second-leg win over Club Brugge.
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Sorloth has scored 39 goals in 89 games since joining Atletico in 2024, but those numbers tell only half the story for a player who is not always a guaranteed starter.
The 30-year-old has averaged a goal every 107 minutes across La Liga and the Champions League for Atleti, hitting 34 goals despite only 36 starts across those competitions.
Goal of the Week
It had to be him.
There were better goals scored during this week’s action, but maybe none more welcomed than this from Vinicius Junior.
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A week on from being the subject of alleged racist abuse at Benfica, he powered through to slot home a winner in the return leg. A corner flag dance routine was the perfect message to those who want to reduce his expression.
Stat of the Week
That Matt Derbyshire statistic might be the best piece of pub quiz trivia we’ve heard in a long, long time.
A week to forget for…
Inter Milan were already up against it, with a 3-1 deficit to turn around against Bodo/Glimt. Manuel Akanji’s awful error ensured there was no hope of a comeback.
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The Swiss centre-back gift-wrapped a goal for the visitors at San Siro, leaving Inter’s already mighty task all that more difficult.
He won’t want to watch this back.
Read – Eddie Howe sets new Champions League record after Newcastle win
See more – Unforgettable Debuts: A baby-faced Rashford announces himself to the world with Europa League brace