Bodø/Glimt Shock Inter Milan, Gordon Nets Four in Newcastle Champions League Thrashing
Norways Bodø/Glimt pulled off a surprise victory against Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday, defeating last seasons finalists 3-1 during the opening leg of their play-off knockout matchup, while Anthony Gordon claimed four goals as Newcastle United overpowered Qarabag 6-1 away in Azerbaijan.
In other action, Atletico Madrid played out an exhilarating 3-3 stalemate with Club Brugge, and Bayer Leverkusen moved closer to the last 16 with a 2-0 triumph over Olympiacos on the road in Greece.
Bodø/Glimt, who have claimed the Norwegian title in four out of the past six seasons, earned their spot here through strong showings in the league stage, such as home victories over Manchester City and an away win against Atletico in their final pair of fixtures.
The team from north of the Arctic Circle showed no fear against the current Serie A frontrunners and took the lead on 20 minutes courtesy of Sondre Brunstad Fet.
Francesco Pio Esposito levelled things for the three-time European Cup winners Inter around the half-hour, with the strike confirmed following a VAR review even amid suggestions of handball in the buildup.
That said, Bodø/Glimt restored their advantage shortly after the hour mark as Kasper Høghs clever pass allowed Jens Petter Hauge to find the target, before Høgh netted his own goal three minutes on.
This outcome puts Inter, who suffered a 5-0 defeat to PSG in last years Champions League final, in a tough spot needing to reverse a two-goal disadvantage in Tuesdays return fixture at San Siro.
The victors of this clash will take on either Manchester City or Portugals Sporting CP in the last 16 come next month.
Newcastle swiftly dismantled Qarabag during their extended journey to Baku, where the impressive Gordon included two spot-kicks among his quartet of strikes that evening - he now boasts 10 goals across nine outings in this campaigns Champions League, a figure surpassed solely by Real Madrids Kylian Mbappé with 13.
Schick brace, Atletico draw
Gordons sharp effort put Newcastle ahead in the third minute at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, followed by Malick Thiaws header making it 2-0 barely eight minutes in.
The ex-Everton winger Gordon then buried a penalty for handball shortly past the half-hour, and capitalised on lax defending moments later to seal his inaugural professional treble.
He rounded off his haul with another penalty that extended Newcastles lead to five during first-half added time, and Jacob Murphy added a sixth after the interval once Elvin Jafarguliyev had narrowed the gap for the home side.
Next weeks home leg at St James Park ought to be straightforward, setting up a last-16 encounter with either Barcelona or Chelsea.
Its a credit to the squad tonight. We dominated the opening period. That was our finest display in quite some time, said Newcastle manager Eddie Howe.
I realise the tie is not concluded yet but we hold a strong advantage.
Over in Belgium, Club Brugge rallied from 2-0 behind and later from 3-2 down to secure a 3-3 tie against Atletico, ensuring the play-off remains wide open before next weeks follow-up match.
Julian Alvarez opened the scoring for the Spanish outfit via an early penalty at Jan Breydelstadion, with Ademola Lookman tapping in up close after Antoine Griezmann nodded on an Alvarez corner deep into first-half stoppage.
Nigerias Raphael Onyedika reduced the arrears soon after the restart for the Belgian hosts, and Nicolo Tresoldi drew them level on the hour.
Atletico seemed set to claim the points when Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez deflected a cross into his own goal, yet Christos Tzolis restored parity at 3-3 in the 89th minute.
It felt like a wild ride, much like the entire season so far. We must stay more focused, Atletico skipper Koke remarked to Movistar - his team sit fourth in La Liga, trailing the leaders by some distance, though they thrashed Barcelona 4-0 in last weeks Copa del Rey semi-final opener.
Leverkusen aimed to make up for a 2-0 loss at Olympiacos from the previous month upon their revisit to Piraeus, emerging victorious by the identical scoreline as Czech forward Patrik Schick bagged a brace within four minutes either side of the hour.