Mofokeng’s Champions League dream ends as Union Saint-Gilloise lose to Bodø/Glimt

Relebohile Mofokeng and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise have been eliminated from UEFA Champions League qualifying after FK Bodø/Glimt scored in the 117th minute to secure a 3-2 victory and a 6-5 aggregate win in the third qualifying round.

The Belgian side had looked set to force the tie into extra time after scoring in the 88th minute to make it 2-2 on the night. However, their hopes of reaching the Champions League league phase were ended when Bodø/Glimt found a late winner in extra time.

The defeat means Royale Union Saint-Gilloise will drop into the UEFA Europa League league phase for the 2026/27 campaign.

Mofokeng made his debut in the competition during the second leg, entering the match at the start of extra time. The South African midfielder was unable to make a decisive impact before the Norwegian champions settled the contest.

Royale Union Saint-Gilloise were also reduced to 10 players in injury time after Kamiel Van de Perre was sent off, further complicating their attempts to recover from Bodø/Glimt’s late strike.

The result brings a disappointing end to what had been an impressive opening to Mofokeng’s career with the Belgian club.

He announced himself by scoring the winning penalty in the Belgian Super Cup against champions Club Brugge. One week later, he scored again on his Belgian Jupiler Pro League debut, finding the net four minutes after coming off the bench during a 5-1 victory over Westerlo.

That promising start was followed by the frustration of missing out on the Champions League, despite Royale Union Saint-Gilloise’s late effort to take the second leg beyond 90 minutes.

For Bodø/Glimt, the victory adds another significant European result to a run that attracted attention during last season’s UEFA Champions League campaign.

The Norwegian champions reached the knockout stages after recording surprise wins over Manchester City, beating them 3-1, and Atletico Madrid, whom they defeated 2-1.

They then produced another notable result by eliminating Serie A giants Inter Milan 5-2 on aggregate in the knockout phase play-offs. Bodø/Glimt also won the first leg of their last-16 tie against Sporting 3-0.

Their impressive run eventually ended against the Portuguese club. Sporting forced extra time in the second leg before completing a 5-3 aggregate victory.

Bodø/Glimt’s latest success leaves them in the next stage of the UEFA Champions League, while Mofokeng and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise must now prepare for their campaign in the UEFA Europa League league phase.