Sporting CP produced a stunning turnaround on Tuesday night, thrashing Bodø/Glimt 5-0 to seal a dramatic 5-3 aggregate victory and book their place in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
Trailing 3-0 from the first leg played north of the Arctic Circle, the Portuguese champions delivered a relentless performance in Lisbon, reaching the last eight of the competition for the first time since the 1982/83 campaign.
The visitors, who have been one of the surprise packages of this season’s tournament, struggled to cope once Gonçalo Inácio opened the scoring, setting the tone for a dominant display from the hosts.
Pedro Gonçalves and Luis Suárez struck to wipe out the first-leg deficit and force extra time.
Momentum firmly on their side, Sporting completed the comeback when Maximiliano Araújo fired home in the 92nd minute to give them the lead in the tie for the first time, before Rafael Nel added a late fifth to cap a memorable night.
Bodø/Glimt had earned widespread praise for their impressive European run, having eliminated Inter Milan in the play-offs and recorded notable victories over Manchester City and Atlético Madrid earlier in the competition.
Their emphatic 3-0 first-leg win at the compact Aspmyra Stadium had placed them firmly in control of the tie.
However, in Lisbon, nerves appeared to take hold. Despite the backing of around 2,000 travelling supporters, the Norwegian side were pinned back early at the Estádio José Alvalade, with Sporting dominating possession and chances.
An early warning came when goalkeeper Nikita Haikin was forced into a save from Suárez, while Kasper Høgh wasted a rare opportunity for the visitors.
Sporting’s pressure paid off when Inácio powered in a header from a corner delivered by Francisco Trincão. Bodø/Glimt nearly responded, but Odin Bjørtuft saw his header strike the crossbar twice in a remarkable sequence.
The hosts doubled their lead shortly after the hour mark, with Suárez setting up Gonçalves for a simple finish, before converting from the spot himself following a handball by Fredrik André Bjørkan.
Although the visitors managed to hold on and force extra time, Sporting wasted no time completing the comeback.
Araújo struck just two minutes into the additional period, and the Portuguese side maintained control before Nel’s late rocket sealed an emphatic and unforgettable victory.
