Champions League arrives in the Arctic Circle, Bode crushes Sturm, Kairat survives Celtic Park hell, draws in Istanbul

A great team from northern Europe defeated Sturm 5:0 in the first leg of the Champions League play-offs and practically secured their first appearance in UEFA's elite.

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Celebration of Boda/Glimt against Sturm, Photo: Reuters
Celebration of Boda/Glimt against Sturm, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

The Champions League this season will apparently be played in a city located within the Arctic Circle - Sturm felt the strength of the team from northern Europe.

Bode/Glimt, a team that has been steadily growing since returning to the top tier of Norwegian football in 2018, opened the doors of UEFA's elite wide - the "yellow and black" "smashed" the Austrian team 5:0 in the first match of the Champions League play-offs.

The team from Bode was close to the group stage of the strongest club competition in 2022 last summer, but Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star were better then, and they showed how serious a team they have become last season when they reached the semi-finals of the Europa League.

Now, the story is practically over in the first round, so the "Aspmira" stadium, with a capacity of just over 8.000, will host the best teams on the Old Continent.

A memorable night against Sturm was signed by Kasper Hogg, Odin Bjortuft, Ulrik Sltnes and Hakon Evjen who filled the Sturm net, while an own goal by William Boving put an end to the match.

The derby of the night in the playoffs was played in Istanbul, but after a great fight it is clear that everything will be decided in Lisbon - Fenerbahçe and Benfica played out a goalless match at the "Şukru Saraçoğlu" stadium.

It didn't help Jose Mourinho's team that they had an extra player from the 71st minute when Florentino received a second yellow card for a stupid foul in midfield.

Along with Bode/Glimt, Kairat was also a nice story of the evening - the club from Almaty survived one of the noisiest stadiums and reached a 0:0 draw against Celtic in Glasgow before the second leg.

Basel and Copenhagen also played an interesting match, and that clash will also be decided in the second leg after a 1:1 draw at "St. Jakob Park".

Champions League, 1st leg most-of

Bode/Glimt - Sturm 5:0

Fenerbahce - Benfica 0:0

Basel - Copenhagen 1:1

Seltik - Kairat 0:0

Earlier

Red Star - Paphos 1:2

Ferencvaros - Qarabag 1:3

Rangers - Club Brugge 1:3

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