Atlético Madrid Vs Club Brugge — atlético madrid vs club brugge: Sorloth hat-trick seals last-16 spot
Alexander Sorloth’s first Champions League hat-trick helped Atletico Madrid overturn a tense knockout tie, beating Club Brugge 4-1 on the night and 7-4 on aggregate at the Wanda Metropolitano in a result that matters now because it sets up a last-16 clash with Premier League opposition. The matchup is framed as atlético madrid vs club brugge across two legs that produced a dramatic finish and individual landmarks.
Sorloth’s scoring sequence: opener, late double and season tally
Sorloth opened the scoring in the 23rd minute after collecting a long ball from goalkeeper Jan Oblak and bending a half-volley that squirmed past Simon Mignolet. The Norway forward then added two goals in the final 14 minutes at the Wanda Metropolitano to complete his first Champions League hat-trick and seal the tie. Sorloth has scored five goals in this season's Champions League and had also netted twice against Espanyol in La Liga on Saturday.
Johnny Cardoso’s decisive strike three minutes after the break
Three minutes into the second half, United States international Johnny Cardoso produced the goal that put Atletico 5-4 ahead on aggregate. The scoreline description in the match text combines a pair of descriptions: Cardoso thrashed home a low strike shortly after the restart and that finish was also described as a rasping half-volley from outside the box. It was Cardoso’s first goal for the club and it changed the tenor of the tie.
Club Brugge’s fightback: Ordonez, Mechele and a near-turnaround
Brugge levelled 13 minutes after Sorloth’s opener when Joel Ordonez headed home from a corner. Ordonez had scored an own goal in the first leg when the two sides drew 3-3, and Brandon Mechele flicked the corner on at the near post for Ordonez to make amends. Less than two minutes later Hugo Vetlesen met a Christos Tzolis cross and thought he had put the visitors ahead, only for Jan Oblak to produce a stellar save to deny him.
Atlético Madrid Vs Club Brugge: scoreline, context and what it sets up
The second-leg 4-1 victory gave Atletico a 7-4 aggregate success and booked a meeting with Premier League opposition in the last 16. Match copy referenced the next opponent as either Tottenham or Liverpool. Diego Simeone’s side made a fast start on home soil after a sluggish end to last week's first leg, when they threw away a two-goal lead, and the win ended a three-game winless run in the Champions League for the La Liga club.
Lineup and tactical notes: Sorloth in for Griezmann, Oblak’s influence
Sorloth started the match in place of Antoine Griezmann and made the selection pay, with Oblak influential both in creating the opener with a long pass and in keeping Brugge at bay with key saves. The tie’s sequence—an opening goal in the 23rd minute, a reply 13 minutes later, a decisive strike three minutes after half-time, and two late finishes in the final 14 minutes—underlines how moments from Jan Oblak, Johnny Cardoso, Brandon Mechele and Joel Ordonez determined the outcome.
One of the pre-match headlines referenced a crucial fixture at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, an additional detail present in the wider coverage of the fixture.
