Norway’s Bodo/Glimt’s fairytale run in the Champions League continued as they knocked out last year’s finalists Inter Milan in one of the tournament’s biggest ever shocks.
A season on from becoming the first Norwegian side to reach the semi-finals of a European competition, following their impressive run in the Europa League, head coach Kjetil Knutsen’s minnows have continued their remarkable rise by qualifying for the Champions League last-16, and as tournament debutants. Bodo/Glimt also operate on a budget that is a fraction of the size of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Bodo/Glimt, who were in Norway’s second-tier as recently as 2017, are the northernmost team to ever play in the Champions League. Based in the small town of Bodo, a 16-hour drive north of Oslo and inside the edge of the Arctic Circle, its whole population of 55,000 could have travelled to Inter’s iconic San Siro and there still would have been plenty of empty seats.
Bodo/Glimt have now beaten Man City, Atletico and Inter to reach the last-16 of the Champions League (Getty Images)
Remarkably, Knutsen’s team are also in their off-season; the Norwegian top-flight ended on 30 November 2025 due to the winter and will only resume when spring arrives in April. But, in that time, Bodo/Glimt have beaten Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and knocked out Italian giants Inter, the runaway Serie A leaders, by beating them home and away
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Bodo/Glimt took a two-goal lead to the San Siro after a stunning 3-1 victory in Norway, where they have developed an outstanding record on the artificial surface at their 9,000-capacity Aspmyra Stadion. Then, on Tuesday night, they survived long spells of pressure before Jens Petter Hauge punished Manuel Akanji’s error to silence the San Siro.
As Bodo/Glimt started to play with confidence, Hakon Evjen added an excellent second on the counter-attack, leaving Inter with a mountain to climb even as Alessandro Bastoni pulled one back. A 5-2 victory on aggregate will not only signal a crisis at Inter, the three-time European champions, and in Italian football as a whole, but it will also send shockwaves around European football.
In Norway, they will celebrate a first Norwegian side to win a knockout tie in the Champions League since 1987-88. While Bodo/Glimt are also the first team outside of Europe’s big five leagues to win four consecutive games against teams from England, Spain, Italy and France since Johan Cruff’s Ajax in 1971-72. They went on to win the European Cup that season, too.
This stuff isn’t suppose to happen in Europe these days.
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Trust the process
Bodo/Glimt’s close-knit, team-first environment is often hailed as the key ingredient behind their remarkable journey. Head coach Knutsen, who has been in charge since 2018 has been linked with several major jobs and bigger leagues during the club’s rise, but has turned down offers to remain with Bodo/Glimt, where he recently signed a contract until 2029.
“For me, the people are the most important thing,” he told TV 2 in January. “That means more than all the trophies. You always work to win something, and that’s great. But the joy of winning it together with someone means the most. There has to be an environment where people care about each other – and I feel we have created that in Bodo/Glimt.”
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Kjetil Knutsen has helped Bodo/Glimt from the second division of Norwegian football to the last-16 of the Champions League (Getty Images)
Hauge, Bodo/Glimt’s top goalscorer in the Champions League this season, now with six goals in nine games, is an example of that spirit. The 26-year-old was signed by AC Milan in 2020 after helping his hometown club’s early rise, before playing for Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany and Gent in Belgium as he attempted to make it at a higher level of European football.
But Hauge, upon returning to Bodo, had the same realisation as some of his team-mates that home was the best place for him after all. It has helped fuel the sense of togetherness at a club that feels as if it has created something special.
Jens Hauge, who moved to AC Milan earlier in this career, celebrates his goal in the San Siro (AFP via Getty Images)
Then there is the impact of Bjørn Mannsverk, a former fighter pilot turned mental coach whose unconventional methods are also part of the club’s story. Mannsverk walked into the club when they were in the second division of Norwegian football in 2017 but revolutionised the team’s behaviour through meditation and embracing the process, rather than results on the pitch.
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“It is a fairy tale, almost a miracle,” Mannsverk told The Associated Press last season. “How can you actually come from the second division in 2017 to playing Champions League… But I think it’s possible … if you have the right mentality and you work hard over time.”
The European journey
Bodo/Glimt won the Norwegian top flight for the first time in 2020, repeating that success in 2021, 2023 and 2024, but it is on the European stage where their story has gone mainstream.
They produced their first major shock in 2021 by beating Jose Mourinho’s Roma 6-1 in the group stage of the Europa Conference League, becoming the first team to put six past a Mourinho defence. They also defeated Celtic in the knockout rounds, before falling to a defeat to Roma in an ill-tempered quarter-final.
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On their plastic pitch, Bodo/Glimt formed a formidable home record in last season’s Europa League run, beating Twente, Olympiacos and Lazio before defeat to eventual winners Tottenham in the semi-finals.
Bodo/Glimt are from a population of 55,000 based inside the Arctic Circle (Getty Images)
A first appearance in the Champions League was not entirely going to plan after the first six matches. Ahead of hosting Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in January, Bodo/Glimt were winless and their hopes of reaching the knockout play-offs were hanging by a thread.
But Erling Haaland’s homecoming to Norway was overshadowed by a dominant performance from Bodo/Glimt, who added their biggest scalp yet. Then, two weeks later, they went to Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid and came from behind to win 2-1 and squeeze through from the league phase.
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The play-off draw handed Bodo/Glimt with a daunting tie against Inter, the Italian leaders and last year’s Champions League finalists. Sensationally, their story is not done there and they will face either a rematch with City or Sporting in the last-16.
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Toronto Blue Jays’ Double-A affiliate, achieved a rare feat not seen in the post-expansion era.
Portland’s pitchers — New Hampshire’s opponent for a six-game series — combined for walks, wild pitches and hit batters, paving the way for the Fisher Cats to pull off the feat.
The Fisher Cats fell behind 2-0 early in Tuesday’s game against the Sea Dogs, the Eastern League affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.
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But New Hampshire scored its first eight runs in the second inning without recording a single base hit.
A Portland Sea Dogs cap during a game between the Erie SeaWolves and the Portland Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field in Portland, Maine, Sept. 5, 2025.(Ella Hannaford/Minor League Baseball)
The Fisher Cats exploded for 10 runs in the inning — nine with two outs — on just one hit and no errors, the final box score in New Hampshire’s 12-7 win showed. The feat was fueled by Portland pitchers issuing eight walks and hitting two batters. Sea Dogs pitchers also uncorked four wild pitches and allowed a sacrifice fly and the inning’s lone hit.
Sea Dogs president Geoff Iacuessa couldn’t believe what unfolded.
“I don’t ever remember seeing that here or any other game I’ve ever seen,” Iacuessa told Portland’s WGME Channel 13. “It was crazy. I thought maybe something was going on with the scoreboard, and then I checked the GameChanger, and it was correct.”
The rare moment happened amid frigid conditions that prompted the stadium’s ground crew to clear the playing grass and infield after heavy snow fell earlier in the day. Temperatures were just a few degrees above freezing at first pitch.
The inning unraveled quickly after a quiet start, when Portland starter Hayden Mullins issued two walks and uncorked a wild pitch despite striking out the side in the first. New Hampshire then broke through with a sacrifice fly.
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Hayden Mullins pitches for the Portland Sea Dogs during a game against the Harrisburg Senators at FNB Field in Harrisburg, Pa., Aug. 5, 2025.(Kyle Mace/Minor League Baseball)
Mullins eventually managed to record two outs, but then lost control, walking three straight to tie the game. Jorge Juan came on in relief but hit the first batter he faced with the bases loaded.
A wild pitch made it a 4-2 score, and a walk loaded the bases again for the Fisher Cats. Juan then hit a batter, making it 5-2, before firing another wild pitch to push the Sea Dogs deficit to four runs. Juan walked two more to push it to 7-2 before leaving the mound with a runner at each base again.
Cade Feeney took the hill next and finally stopped the leaking, but not before a wild pitch made it 8-2 and New Hampshire outfielder Ismael Munguia’s two-run single pushed the lead to 10-2.
Ismael Munguia of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats poses for a photo during the team’s photo day at Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester, N.H., March 30, 2026.(Michael Owens/MLB Photos)
Munguia represented his native Nicaragua in last month’s World Baseball Classic, appearing in four games.
Not even a team at the major league level has scored more than four runs in an inning without recording its first hit, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
MLB.com reports it has happened just 16 times in American League and National League history that a pitcher allowed five runs without surrendering a hit in 1⅔ innings or fewer.
The duo have matched up 99 times in their career, but they may only have two meetings left.
This will make 101 games against each other, the most among duelling No. 1 picks in league history. Without knowing if there will be a 102nd matchup, Ovechkin will enjoy these next two games.
“It’s history what we have, 20 years playing against each other,” Ovechkin said Friday. “We came into the league at the same time, and we’re still battling and we still have a good match.”
In 74 regular-season games between the two, Crosby holds the edge with a 43-27-4 record. It’s the same in the playoffs, as the Penguins have beaten the Capitals in three out of four series between the two stars.
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Playing against one another seems to bring out the best in each other. Ovechkin has 70 points (38 goals, 32 assists) in regular-season contests and 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in the postseason, while Crosby has 97 (35 goals, 62 assists) and 30 (13 goals, 17 assists).
“I think the whole situation around Ovi and Sid was kind of a big time,” Ovechkin said, “and even more, not pressure, but even more (you) think about it and get ready for it.
“It’s still the same since the first game when we played against each other. The fans are in, and you guys (the media) are in, and we take that energy and put it on the ice.”
Despite the constant comparisons, battles and headlines surrounding Ovechkin and Crosby over the year, the two have been able to separate their hockey battles from their personal relationship.
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“We became friends,” Ovechkin said. “I think we understand the battle is out there, but off the ice we can talk to each other, congratulate each other on that moment. So, it’s pretty good.”
This weekend’s games will also mean a lot to Ovechkin and the Capitals because they most likely need to win both in order to stay in the playoff chase. Washington sits five points behind the Ottawa Senators for the East’s final Wild Card spot.
A leading tipster has backed Patrick Mullins to complete back-to-back Grand National victories, though this time on a different mount.
Mullins, son of legendary trainer Willie, rode 33-1 outsider Nick Rockett to victory in 2025. The top amateur jockey had been expected to ride Nick Rockett again this year before switching to Grangeclare West earlier this week.
Nick Rockett has since been pulled out of the Aintree showpiece. Paddock expert Ken Pitterson, a regular contributor to ITV’s racing coverage, predicted Nick Rockett’s shock win 12 months ago.
Now he is tipping another Willie Mullins-trained horse, Grangeclare West, who is among the favourites for the race at 10-1. Pitterson said: “This year, I like the chances of Grangeclare West. He ran third in the race last year and again the way he’s been trained by Willie Mullins. It looks like he’s been gradually building him up.
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“I like the way he won the Bobbyjo Chase, which Nick Rockett won last year on the way to Aintree. The way he’s trained him, he’s getting him to peak at the right time.
“He’s got the same sort of profile as Nick Rockett and if you look back at his previous form, he’s a classy performer.
“He won a Grade 1 as a seven-year-old, so you know he’s got a bit of back class as well. He fits the criteria of a horse I’m looking for going into the National.”
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Regarding his second and third picks, Pitterson, who works for William Hill Racing Radio, is anticipating another of the favourites, Panic Attack, along with outsider Gerri Colombe, to put in strong performances.
He said: “I think Panic Attack is an interesting runner. She’s a mare in form and mares at this time of year can be dangerous.
“I love the way she performed when she won the two big races in November – the Paddy Power Gold Cup and the Coral Gold Cup. She’s done something which no other horse has done.
“She’s had a great campaign and the fact she’s a mare on form could be dangerous. You know what [trainer] Dan Skelton can do. The other one I’m interested in is a horse called Gerri Colombe. I saw him as a youngster and he’s just got that build.
“The way he jumps and travels he could be a Grand National horse. He’s not the quickest but he did win a Grade 1 as a younger horse.
“He’s had a few problems last year, he’s come back and again he’s won his last race at Down Royal and he comes in relatively fresh. He has the look of a horse to me who could figure in a Grand National.”
Last-minute Grand National 2026 tickets
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West Ham United have climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone for the first time since December following a commanding 4-0 victory over Wolves at the London Stadium.
The result simultaneously plunged north London rivals Tottenham into the bottom three.
Konstantinos Mavropanos opened the scoring with a first-half header before adding another late on, while Taty Castellanos struck twice within two minutes midway through the second half to seal the emphatic win.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, initially nervous, shrugged off their early jitters to dismantle the league’s bottom club.
This triumph marks a significant turnaround for the Hammers, who were seven points adrift of safety and winless in 10 after a January defeat to Nottingham Forest.
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Five victories in their subsequent 11 matches, alongside Tottenham’s apparent free fall, have completely reshaped the battle at the foot of the table, inching West Ham closer to survival.
Mavropanos’s opener, headed in from Jarrod Bowen’s cross just before the break, proved pivotal in setting the stage for Castellanos to double his tally for the club.
It meant Wolves’ brief revival after three games unbeaten was ended. Relegation for them could now be confirmed as early as next week away to Leeds.
Crysencio Summerville had wasted a golden chance to give West Ham the lead after 14 minutes, staying onside to receive Mateus Fernandes’s pass before leaning back and scooping his finish high over the crossbar.
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Nuno Espirito Santo’s side shrugged off their early jitters to dismantle the league’s bottom club (Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
Good work from Pablo to dance his way into the box set up Bowen with a chance he ought to have buried. Instead the shot was tame, bounced into the ground via a mistimed swing of the leg and into the arms of Jose Sa.
West Ham’s wastefulness in front goal and carelessness on the ball were doing little to calm a restless atmosphere.
El Hadji Malick Diouf drew howls of exasperation from home fans when he needlessly gave the ball away in his own half, letting in Adam Armstrong for a chance that whistled just over.
Armstrong then had Wolves’ best chance of the half with a flicked header that was well-held by Mads Hermansen.
Ladislav Krejci blocked from Bowen following Mavropanos’s knock-down. Wolves had now been warned amply of West Ham’s growing threat but they were breached before the interval.
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Their defence failed to clear properly from a corner, the ball was sent back out wide to Bowen who crossed for Mavropanos to rise and plant his header into the corner.
Only a fine low save from Sa kept Pablo from sending a buoyant West Ham in two up at the break.
A wild two-minute spell at the start of the second half saw both sides hit a post, Wolves from Angel Gomes’s free-kick, then Bowen drove inside from the right and smacked the upright.
Castellanos settled home fans’ nerves with a finish into the corner that owed to a wonderfully inventive back-heel by Pablo to set up the chance.
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Wolves gave the ball away almost immediately from the kick-off to Bowen, and he fed Castellanos to take a touch and roll in his second and West Ham’s third via a post.
Mavropanos volleyed in a late fourth for West Ham, whose momentum showed no sign of abating.
Tristan Sailor scored 14 points as St Helens dominated Catalans Dragons in a one-sided Challenge Cup quarter-final.
The Australian full-back, who also racked up 14 points in the stunning Good Friday comeback win over derby rivals Wigan Warriors last week, went over for a first-half try and kicked five goals as the ragged French side failed to test Paul Rowley’s resurgent Saints.
But St Helens suffered more injury woe as Jake Wingfield and Lewis Murphy, who scored the first try after Sailor had notched an early penalty, were forced off in the opening 32 minutes, but that could not interrupt the flow.
Sailor went over and 19-year-old Jake Davies scored his first senior try before second-half scores from Owen Dagnall and George Whitby emphasised the gulf between the sides.
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Rowley has had to cope with a horrendous injury list this season and his bad luck showed no sign of abating. Saints welcomed back Alex Walmsley, George Delaney and Whitby but lost Wingfield and Murphy in the first half at the BrewDog Stadium.
It made no difference to the one-sided flow of this game, as Sailor’s fifth-minute penalty and Murphy’s sharp finish in the corner had Saints in control before the French side, fresh from a derby win of their own against Toulouse, knew what had hit them.
Sailor raced onto Daryl Clark’s shinned kick to score another as the Dragons failed to cope with the pace and intensity of the home side, who have now won seven of their past eight games in all competitions.
Clark’s speed at the ruck was creating havoc for a disorganised Catalans side, while Walmsley celebrated his return, and his 36th birthday, by repeatedly punching holes in the opposition defence.
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Sailor added another penalty and after Walmsley had powered straight through the Dragons line Davies was on hand to score his milestone try and make it 20-0 at half time.
Catalans needed a strong start after the break but instead they continued to infringe and saw Julian Bousquet sin-binned for tackling Harry Robertson without the ball.
Successive penalties deep in Dragons territory ended with Sailor’s deft pass out of the tackle for Dagnall to step his way over the line, and then Whitby latched onto Jackson Hastings’ kick for another.
A rare Sailor mistake, a knock-on in front of his own posts, led to Faataape’s consolation try, but Whitby made it a memorable night for himself by sliding in to get his fingers on top of the ball after Hastings’ high kick had bounced awkwardly and evaded the grasp of Nick Cotric.
Pulse raced into a 12-1 lead with barely 10 minutes on the clock, forcing Mavericks coach Tamsin Greenway to call an early tactical timeout.
Emma Thacker scored three two-point super shots as Mavericks cut the deficit to four points by the end of the third quarter.
However, Pulse finished the match strongly to claim a victory that moved them level on 18 points with league leaders Loughborough Lightning, who face Nottingham Forest on Saturday, 11 April (19:00 BST).
“We knew we had a very strong first quarter, but then had to push on. We know we let them back into the game,” added Fadoju.
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Pulse head coach Sam Bird said: “I’m pleased with how we finished the game. We showed we have a lot in the tank to finish strong.”
On Saturday LexisNexis Dragons host Birmingham Panthers in Cardiff live on BBC Sport (16:00 BST), before Manchester Thunder take on Leeds Rhinos (17:00 BST).
NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals produced a stunning batting display as young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi powered them to a record-breaking start against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026. Chasing 202, RR raced to 97/1 in the Powerplay, their highest-ever total in the first six overs and one of the best in IPL history. Sooryavanshi, who was dismissed for 78 runs off 26, led the charge inside the powerplay with a blistering 57 off just 18 balls, while Dhruv Jurel supported him with a quick 27 off 10 balls.
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How Justin Langer’s belief helped Mukul Choudhary shine
The sixth over alone produced 24 runs, underlining RR’s dominance.This effort placed RR among the top Powerplay scores in IPL history, just behind some explosive totals by Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders. Highest Powerplay totals in IPL
125/0 – SRH vs DC, Delhi, 2024
107/0 – SRH vs LSG, Hyderabad, 2024
105/0 – KKR vs RCB, Bengaluru, 2017
100/2 – CSK vs PBKS, Wankhede, 2014
97/1 – RR vs RCB, Guwahati, 2026*
94/1 – SRH vs RR, Hyderabad, 2025
The aggressive approach ensured RR took early control of the chase, putting immense pressure on RCB’s bowling attack.Earlier, RCB had posted 201/8, largely thanks to a fighting knock from captain Rajat Patidar, who scored 63 off 40 balls. Walking in during a collapse, Patidar steadied the innings and kept the scoreboard ticking despite wickets falling at the other end. Virat Kohli had provided a quick start with 32 off 16 balls but fell trying to accelerate.RR’s bowlers, led by Jofra Archer and Ravi Bishnoi, triggered a middle-order collapse, reducing RCB to 94/6 at one stage. Bishnoi’s variations proved crucial, while Brijesh Sharma impressed with key breakthroughs.However, a late surge from Impact Sub Venkatesh Iyer, who smashed 29 off 15 balls including 21 runs in the final over, pushed RCB past the 200-run mark. Despite the late flourish, the total appeared slightly below par on a surface offering bounce but also value for shots.In response, RR’s fearless approach in the Powerplay, spearheaded by Sooryavanshi, turned the game decisively in their favour, scripting a memorable night and showcasing the arrival of a new batting star in the IPL.
World football governing body FIFA has ruled out Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala from officiating at the 2026 World Cup.
The decision comes months after his controversial performance in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations 2025, which drew heavy criticism from fans, players, and football officials.
Ndala was at the centre of several disputed calls during the final, with many observers questioning his judgement in key moments of the match. The backlash that followed placed his officiating under intense scrutiny.
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After a detailed review process, FIFA opted to leave the experienced referee out of its list for the global tournament. The body is said to have based its decision on consistency, performance levels, and the need to maintain high refereeing standards on the world stage.
The move signals FIFA’s firm stance on accountability, especially after major competitions where officiating decisions can shape outcomes. It also reflects the growing demand for accuracy and fairness in modern football.
Ndala, once regarded as one of Africa’s top referees, now faces an uncertain future at the highest level, as the fallout from the AFCON final continues to affect his career.
Fury was in the same upbeat mood he has shown all week – making time for fans outside beforehand, laughing and joking with the media, and strolling out to Eminem’s ‘Without Me’ with the line “guess who’s back?” blasting over the speakers.
But the focus soon turned to the scales, with weight a talking point throughout the Morecambe fighter’s career.
He was a career-heaviest 20st 1lb (127.5kg) – although fully clothed – for his rematch with Usyk in December 2024, while during his hiatus from boxing between 2016 and 2018 he ballooned to around 28st (177.8kg) amid personal struggles.
Fury – who has spent his training camp in Pattaya, Thailand – weighed the same as he did for his last fight in the United Kingdom in December 2022 when he beat fellow Briton Derek Chisora.
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“It’s a decent, comfortable, happy weight for Fury. A lot of people thought he’d come in heavier, but that’s a good weight,” said BBC Radio 5 Live boxing pundit Steve Bunce.
“He looks like a man that has been training in the heat for an awful long time.
“He might have been 23 or 24 stone when he started training for this fight. He’s moved a little bit of weight and built it up slowly after his exile. He’s been walking up hills and carrying trees. I love how he looks.”
Makhmudov, though, is one of the few heavyweights capable of matching Fury for sheer physical presence.
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Standing 6ft 6in, the Russian-born, Canada-based fighter – known as ‘The Lion’ – has secured 21 wins in 23 fights, including 19 by knockout, and arrives in London with a reputation as a heavy puncher.
Makhmudov’s most recent victory came against British heavyweight Dave Allen in October 2025.
“I’m ready to go. I can’t wait for tomorrow night to make my dream happen. I’ve waited a long time to get here. It’s my dream and my time,” he said.
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