New Delhi, 19 February (H.S.): Norway's intrepid underdogs Bodø/Glimt orchestrated a seismic upset in the UEFA Champions League playoff first leg on Wednesday, at Aspmyra Stadion, vanquishing last season's runners-up Inter Milan 3-1 and securing a precious two-goal cushion ahead of next week's return fixture in Milan.

In a home clash pulsating with audacity, Sondre Fet ignited the fervor in the 20th minute, converting Kasper Høgh's exquisite backheel assist with a clinical right-footed finish into the bottom left corner; Inter's Francesco Pio Esposito swiftly equalized before halftime, yet Bodø/Glimt asserted second-half dominance as Høgh orchestrated Jens Petter Hauge's blistering 61st-minute strike into the top left corner, followed three minutes later by his own poacher's effort from Ole Didrik Blomberg's tee-up, propelling the Arctic Circle club—history's northernmost Champions League participant—to a seventh straight victory across competitions.

Inter, finalists in two of the last three campaigns, confronts a Herculean task for advancement.Elsewhere, Newcastle United demolished Azerbaijan's Qarabağ 6-1 at Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku, with Anthony Gordon's blistering first-half hat-trick—four goals total inside 33 minutes—complemented by Malik Thiaw and Jacob Murphy strikes for a 5-0 halftime lead, Qarabağ's solitary riposte courtesy Elvin Jafarguliyev; Atlético Madrid and Club Brugge deadlock settled at 3-3, Julian Alvarez's eighth-minute penalty and Ademola Lookman's stoppage-time doublé undone by Nicolò Tresoldi, Raphaël Onyedika, Joel Ordóñez's 70th-minute own goal, and Christos Tzolis' 89th-minute equalizer; Bayer Leverkusen dispatched Olympiacos 2-0, Patrick Schick's brace fortifying their progression prospects.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar