Erling Haaland stood in the mixed zone at Aspmyra Stadion, shoulders heavy, voice low, and delivered the kind of statement few modern superstars are willing to make in public. After Manchester City’s stunning Champions League defeat to Norwegian outsiders Bodo/Glimt, the striker apologised directly to the club’s supporters, calling the result “embarrassing” and accepting personal responsibility for his own faltering form.

“I take full responsibility for not being able to score. I apologise to everyone, every single City supporter that travelled,” Haaland said, visibly deflated after a night that had promised a triumphant homecoming but instead turned into a nightmare. “In the end it’s embarrassing, I don’t know what else to say because I don’t have the answers, and what I can say is sorry.”

For the reigning Premier League champions, the defeat was more than just a bad night in Arctic conditions. It was one of the most startling upsets in recent Champions League memory, a result that leaves City’s hopes of automatic progression in serious jeopardy and raises uncomfortable questions about a side that has grown used to dictating the narrative in Europe rather than being humbled by it.

The setting only amplified the shock. In –9°C temperatures, on a tight, hostile ground north of the Arctic Circle, City were expected to impose their quality and experience. Instead, they were outplayed for long spells by a Bodo/Glimt team that combined relentless energy with tactical clarity and a fearless approach. The Norwegian champions, long admired domestically for th8their progressive style, seized their moment on the continental stage.

Haaland, returning to his homeland as the focal point of City’s attack, endured a night that mirrored his recent struggles. Once a relentless scoring machine, he has now managed just one goal – a penalty against Brighton – in his last eight appearances. Against Bodo/Glimt he found himself crowded out, frustrated by tight marking, and unable to convert the few half-chances that came his way.

“It was a fully deserved win for them and it’s not good enough from us. They play incredible at home,” he admitted. “We played well until they scored their first goal, but then they scored again. Then Jens scores the goal of the year… We did our best but something is missing. The senior players take responsibility.”

The reference was to Jens Petter Hauge, the Bodo/Glimt forward whose spectacular strike effectively sealed the contest and will live long in the memory of the home supporters. Cutting inside with confidence and unleashing a curling effort beyond the City goalkeeper, Hauge’s goal encapsulated the belief and bravery that defined the Norwegian side’s performance.

On the touchline, Pep Guardiola cut a frustrated figure. The City manager has overseen some of the most dominant European displays of the modern era, but here he was forced to confront a very different reality: a team short of rhythm, missing key players, and increasingly fragile under pressure.

“We arrived in some departments without important players and they are a little bit fragile like they were last season in a certain period,” Guardiola said afterwards. “I have a feeling that the results since 2025 were not good… Today was an incredible opportunity for us, but the feeling is that everything is going wrong. It’s going against us in many, many details.”

The defeat came hard on the heels of a derby loss to Manchester United, compounding what has quickly become a deeply uncomfortable spell for City. For a club accustomed to long winning runs and a sense of inevitability about their success, the sudden accumulation of setbacks has been jarring. Missed chances, defensive lapses, and a lack of fluency in midfield have all contributed to a sense that the champions are operating several levels below their best.

Haaland, asked about his own frustrations, chose not to dwell on his personal situation, instead pointing to the relentless nature of the schedule and the need to move on quickly.

“I don’t want to speak about how I feel… I try to do my best… and try to get ready for the next game – which is in four days,” he said. It was a reminder that, in elite football, there is rarely time for introspection. Yet his apology, and the rawness of his words, suggested a player acutely aware of the expectations that surround him and the scrutiny that comes with a barren run.

City’s immediate reality is stark. They must now beat Galatasaray in their next group match to keep alive realistic hopes of finishing in the top eight and avoiding a far more complicated route through the knockout stages. Anything less would deepen the sense of crisis and invite further questions about whether this squad, for all its talent, has lost some of the edge that carried it to previous triumphs.

For Bodo/Glimt, the night was a vindication of years of careful building and a belief that they could compete with Europe’s elite on their own terms. Manager Kjetil Knutsen, who has earned widespread respect for his work in transforming the club into a modern, attack-minded force, was quick to praise both Hauge and the collective effort.

“He’s a fantastic player… He was really good. But as always, this is football and you need to be good together, and he is part of a good team,” Knutsen said. He described the victory as “amazing”, not as a fluke but as the product of a group that trusted its principles even against one of the most expensively assembled squads in the world.

The result also keeps Bodo/Glimt’s own European ambitions alive. If they can defeat Atletico Madrid in their final group match, they could yet reach the play-offs, an outcome that would have seemed wildly optimistic when the draw was made. Now, buoyed by the scalp of Manchester City, it feels within reach.

Back in the City camp, the mood is very different. Guardiola spoke of “many, many details” going against his side, but the broader concern will be whether this is simply a rough patch or the sign of deeper structural issues: fatigue after years of competing on multiple fronts, the absence of key leaders, or a tactical puzzle that has not yet been solved.

Haaland’s public apology, rare in its directness, may resonate with supporters who travelled to the far north expecting a routine win and instead witnessed a humbling. It also underlines the pressure on City’s star striker to rediscover his ruthless touch in front of goal. For all the tactical nuances and injury concerns, City’s system is built around his ability to turn half-chances into goals and tight games into comfortable victories.

As the squad flies back to Manchester and attention turns to the looming clash with Galatasaray, the narrative is clear. Manchester City, so often the benchmark, suddenly look vulnerable. Bodo/Glimt, written off by many before a ball was kicked, have rewritten the script.

In the cold of Bodo, under floodlights that illuminated one of the Champions League’s great shocks, Erling Haaland’s words lingered: “It’s embarrassing… something is missing.” The coming weeks will reveal whether City can find what has gone astray – or whether this night in Norway will be remembered as the moment their European campaign truly began to unravel.