The first leg of the Champions League play-off matches on Wednesday witnessed Inter's defeat to Bodo Glimt, and Atletico's exciting draw with Club Brugge, while Anthony Gordon led Newcastle to a historic six-game win against Karabakh.
Published on: 02/19/2026 - 00:17 Last updated: 02/19/2026 - 04:10
Italian Inter, last season's runner-up, suffered a harsh loss on Wednesday against its host, Bodo Glimt, of Norway, 1-3, while Spain's Atletico Madrid returned with a disappointing 3-3 draw at Club Brugge, and England's Newcastle United swept its Azerbaijani host, Karabakh, 6-1, on Wednesday, in the first leg of the qualifying play-off to the 16-legged Champions League final.
At the Aspmira Stadium in Bodo, the hosts took the lead through Sondri Bronstad-Vitt, before Pio Esposito equalized for Inter. However, the Norwegians settled the match with two quick goals in the second half by Jens Petter Hauge and Kasper Ho, as Romanian coach Christian Kefu's team suffered its first loss after 6 consecutive victories in various competitions. The Nerazzurri face a difficult task in the second leg of the play-off at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium next Tuesday.
In Belgium, Atletico squandered its lead with goals from Julián Alvarez (penalty kick) and Ademola Lookman, as Club Brugge responded with braces from Rafael Onyediki and Nicolo Tresoldi, before Joel Ordonis accidentally scored in his own net, then Greek Christos Tzoulis snatched the equalizer in stoppage time.
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Captain Koke told Movistar: “We led by two goals and did not know how to maintain the lead,” adding, “The match was volatile, as is the case throughout the season. We have to focus more.”
In Baku, Anthony Gordon stole the show by scoring a “super hat-trick” that led Newcastle to a sweeping victory over Karabakh. His coach, Eddie Howe, praised his performance, telling TNT Sports: “His performance was excellent in the first half... He could have scored more, but he gave a great performance.”
In Athens, Czech Patrik Schick scored a brace that gave Bayer Leverkusen a 2-0 victory over Olympiacos, bringing the German champions close to crossing before the return match at the Bay Arena.
France 24/AFP
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