Bodo/Glimt stun Lazio in penalty shoot-out to make Europa League semi-finals

ROME :Nikita Haikin made the vital save as Bodo/Glimt pulled off a stunning penalty shoot-out win away to Lazio on Thursday to become the first Norwegian team to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League, where they will face Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.

Lazio appeared to have done all they needed to, overturning the two-goal deficit from the first leg to take a 3-0 lead on the night, but a sucker-punch goal in extra time from Andreas Helmersen sent the tie to penalties, where Haikin became the hero.

Lazio had taken the lead in the 21st minute through an exquisite flick from Taty Castellanos and that set the tone for what was to come, with the Italian side dominating and the visitors floundering for much of the game, unable to keep up with the slick passing of the Italians.

However, it took until second-half stoppage time for Tijani Noslin to squeeze in their second goal to make it 2-2 on aggregate and send the tie to extra time, with Boulaye Dia heading home to put Lazio 3-2 up on aggregate 10 minutes into the first period.

Then came Helmersen's decisive cameo appearance. After missing a sitter in second-half stoppage time, just before Noslin's goal, he scored with a powerful downward header to level the aggregate score at 3-3, throwing the club a scarcely believable lifeline.

Helmersen's all-action contribution saw him receive a second yellow card in the dying minutes as the tie headed to penalties after a nerve-jangling encounter.

Things looked bleak for the Norwegians when Jens Petter Hauge saw his spot kick saved and Dia scored, but up stepped their well-travelled goalkeeper Haikin, an Israeli-born Russian who spent much of his teenage years in London.

He saved from Loum Tchaouna and watched as Noslin fired wide