The fairytale of Bodo/Glimt has conquered Europe. The northernmost champion in the history of football has reached the round of 16 of the Champions League after knocking out Inter (3-1 and 1-2), last season’s runners-up, in the play-offs
There are plenty of ingredients: a team that until 2017 was playing in the second division, a population of just 55,000 inhabitants in the heart of the Arctic Circle, with an artificial turf stadium of just 8,270 spectators, with only two internationals (Bjorkan and Berg) in the last Norway squad and which, with only two games to go before the end of the League Phase, had a 99.7% chance of being eliminated
To top it all off, Bodo, who sawVikingput an end totwo consecutive league titles, has gone87 dayswithout playing anofficial matchin their own country. Because of the winter break, they have been‘based’ in Spain, between Marbella and Benidorm. Since then, they have become the first Norwegian team towin four consecutive Champions League matches. They have beaten Manchester City (3-1), Atletico Madrid (1-2) and Inter (3-1 and 1-2).
A ‘miracle’ that has already made its mark in the history of the Champions League. Is it, however, the greatest of all time?At MARCA, we wanted to put other examples on the table and let you be the one to choose:
Dynamo Kyiv 1998-99
The journey of the team coached by Valeriy Lobanovskyi began in the preliminary round, beating Barry Town (10-1) and Sparta Prague (on penalties). They then reached the quarter-finals as winners of Group E, leaving Lens, Arsenal and Panathinaikos in their wake. The greatest feat of Shevchenko, Rebrov and company was undoubtedly to knock out Real Madrid in the quarter-finals by an aggregate score of (1-3). Bayern ended their dream in the semi-finals.
APOEL 2011-12
Another of the great ‘Cinderella stories’ in recent Champions League history. They went through three qualifying rounds (Skënderbeu, Slovan Bratislava and Wisla) to reach the group stage. The draw, however, was kind to them. They finished top of a group that also included Zenit, Porto and Shakhtar. In the round of 16 came their turning point. The team led by Brazilians Manduca and Ailton eliminated Lyon on penalties. Real Madrid, however, showed no mercy, thrashing them 8-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.
Malaga 2012-13
Manuel Pellegrini’s team also started from the pre-match: they eliminated Panathinaikos (2-0). In the group stage, they already showed their potential. They finished as the outstanding leaders of Group C, ahead of Milan, Zenit and Anderlecht, with three wins and three draws. In the last 16, they came from behind to beat Porto 1-0 at La Rosaleda (2-0). Joaquin, Isco, Saviola, Baptista, Demichelis and Monreal were already tasting the semi-finals. After the 0-0 draw in the first leg, they were leading 1-2 against Borussia Dortmund in the 90th minute. However, two goals in added time from Reus (91′) and Santana (93′), clearly offside and validated by Craig Thompson, knocked Malaga out of Europe
Porto 2003-04
It is true that Porto already knew what it was like to win the European Cup (1986-87) and that they had just won the UEFA Cup (2002-03), but no one expected Jose Mourinho’s side to go on to win the 2003-04 Champions League. The Dragons advanced to the knockout stages after finishing second behind Real Madrid in Group F. In the round of 16 came their first ‘miracle’. They were out, but a 90th-minute goal from Costinha saw them knock out Manchester United at Old Trafford (2-1 and 1-1). After knocking out Olympique Lyonnais in the quarter-finals and Deportivo La Coruna in the semi-finals, they went on to thrash Monaco (0-3) in the final.
Monaco 2003-04
The heavy defeat against Porto (0-3) in the final should not detract from the great campaign of the team led by Fernando Morientes. Monaco advanced to the last 16 as Group C winners after inflicting a memorable 8-3 defeat on Deportivo, with a four-goal haul from Dado Prso. Didier Deschamps’ side eliminated Lokomotiv in the last 16 and worked their magic after knocking out two of the big guns, Real Madrid and Chelsea, in the quarter-finals and semi-finals
Villarreal 2005-06
The ‘Yellow Submarine’, making their debut, almost made it to the final in their first Champions League appearance. Their campaign began in August, eliminating Mikel Arteta’s Everton in the preliminary round. Pellegrini’s side started strongly. They finished top of Group D ahead of Benfica, Lille and Manchester United, who finished bottom. They knocked out Rangers in the round of 16 and became ‘giants’ by knocking out Inter in the quarter-finals (2-1 and 1-0) thanks to a goal from Arruabarrena. The defeat at the Emirates (1-0) did not discourage the likes of Javi Venta, Quique Alvarez, Senna, Sorin and Forlan. In fact, they almost forced extra time: Riquelme missed a penalty in the 88th minute.
Ajax 2018-19
A historic, four-time Champions League winner, Ajax seemed to ‘rise from the ashes’ in the 2018-19 season with Erik ten Hag at the helm. They had to eliminate Sturm Graz, Standard Liege and Dynamo Kiev in the preliminary round. They finished second, behind Bayern Munich, in Group E. The climax of Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, Donny van de Beek, Dusan Tadic and David Neres came after they knocked out Real Madrid in the round of 16 (1-4), overturning the 2-1 defeat they suffered in Amsterdam. In the quarter-finals, they knocked out Juventus in Turin (1-1 and 1-2). They also looked to be in the final after they beat Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 in London and were winning 2-0 in the second leg…but a ‘hat-trick’ from Lucas Moura left them out
Schalke 2010-11
Raul’s team reached the semi-finals against all odds. The miners finished top of Group B, ahead of Olympique Lyon, Benfica and Hapoel Tel Aviv. In the round of 16, they knocked out Valencia with a goal from Raul in the first leg, in the quarter-finals they thrashed Inter (2-5 and 2-1) with two new goals from the ‘7’ and in the semi-finals they lost to Manchester United despite the recital given by a young Manuel Neuer in goal.
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