Inter Milan suffered a debacle in the Champions League - and Swiss international Manuel Akanji is at the center of the criticism. After the 2-1 defeat against Bodø/Glimt, Italy's press speaks of a "catastrophe" and finds clear words.
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- Inter Milan fail to progress from the Champions League play-offs against the crass underdogs Bodø/Glimt and come in for harsh criticism from the Italian press.
- Manuel Akanji is also targeted by the media after his momentous mistake and receives the worst player rating in several newspapers.
- While Italy's press spoke of an embarrassment and financial losses, the Norwegian media celebrated Bodö/Glimt's coup as a historic sensation.
Inter Milan embarrassed themselves in the Champions League play-offs and, after losing the first leg against Bodö/Glimt (1:3), also lost 2:1 at home in the San Siro. Unsurprisingly, the Italian press came down heavily on the "Nerazzurri".
La Gazzetta dello Sport
«Without apology»
The pink sports bible headlines on Wednesday morning that there are no excuses for Inter's defeat to Bodö/Glimt. The morning after the embarrassment, an article about Swiss central defender Manuel Akanji graces the front of the online edition: "Akanji, you of all people? That's how Inter's wall collapsed in two games," it reads.
The fact that the usually reliable Swiss player made the mistake surprised everyone and was atypical for the central defender: "Nobody expected such a mistake, maybe not even him, certainly not the Nerazzurri fans."
With a grade of 4.5 (on a scale of 10), Akanji, along with striker Marcus Thuram, was rated the worst of all Inter players. At least there is some consolation for the grade in the explanation: "Even the greats make mistakes - especially with a cut on their face."
Corriere dello Sport
«Disastrous Inter»
The Corriere dello Sport headlines with a pun on the missed remontada (the great comeback) and writes of a catastrophic Inter and a huge disappointment.
Here too, Akanji comes off worst in the player ratings with a grade of 4 (out of 10) after his "glaring mistake".
Tuttosport
«Disgrace for Inter. 20 million goes up in smoke»
The Juventus-affiliated Tuttosport has dedicated its cover story to the Turin side, who have their backs to the wall today against Galatasaray. They write about Inter as an embarrassment and discuss the revenue that will be lost as a result of the elimination.
Quotidiano Sportivo
«Nightmare for Inter»
Quotidiano Sportivo reports that after champions Napoli, last year's Serie A runners-up Inter have now also been eliminated. The paper also notes that Norwegian football has once again taught the Italians a hard lesson. As a reminder: Italy's national team lost twice to Norway in the World Cup qualifiers and must therefore fear for their participation in the play-offs for the World Cup.
Verdens Gang (Norway)
«This adventure is much wilder than the World Cup. It's yellow madness»
In Norway's daily newspaper Verdens Gang, a journalist writes a commentary that summarizes just how big the miracle of Bodö/Glimt is. According to the article, Bodö is making fun of European football, of clubs that have so much money that they don't know what to spend it on.
This is even crazier than the fact that Norway is back at the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. After all, the national team has many superstars, but Glimt has none. And so, with 9 out of 10 Norwegian outfield players, they have beaten Manchester City, Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan twice in the last 35 "unreal" days.
Dagbladet (Norway)
«Demonstration of power in Milan»
Dagbladet puts up a whole cluster with the headline: "Demonstration of power in Milan."
NRK
«Bodø/Glimt storms through Europe»
The public broadcaster NRK writes that Bodø/Glimt continues to shake up top European teams. The victories against Inter were even "the biggest surprise in the history of the Champions League".
NRK expert Carl-Erik Torp is now of the opinion that it is high time to reward the performances of several Glimt players in the Norwegian national team. "Anything else would shock me," he said after the success in Milan.
