Atlético Madrid - Club Brujas: Sorloth hat-trick sends Atlético into Champions League Round of 16

Atlético de Madrid beat Club Brugge 4-1 (7-4 on aggregate) to advance to the Champions League Round of 16, settling the playoff tie after a 3-3 first leg. The atlético madrid - club brujas matchup hinged on a Sorloth hat-trick, a crucial 48th-minute strike from Johnny Cardoso and an important save from Oblak that kept Brugge from going into halftime ahead.

Atlético Madrid - Club Brujas: Sorloth delivers three goals

Sorloth opened the scoring for Atlético with a goal that came with the involvement of Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. He later completed a double after a sweeping team move that involved Griezmann and Lookman, and sealed his hat-trick in the final minutes with a precise finish inside the area. Those three goals proved decisive in the 4-1 match victory and the 7-4 aggregate scoreline.

Simon Mignolet error and Joel Ordóñez’s corner reply

After Sorloth’s initial strike put Atlético ahead, the visitors reacted before the end of the first half when Joel Ordóñez converted from a corner to level the score at 1-1. The sequence underlined how quickly momentum shifted: what began as an Atlético lead turned into a tied game thanks to Ordóñez’s set-piece finish.

Oblak’s intervention prevents Brugge halftime lead

Brugge might have gone into the break in front but for a dramatic save from Atlético goalkeeper Oblak. With a powerful swat, Oblak prevented the ball from crossing the line, an action that directly denied Brugge the halftime advantage and preserved Atlético’s platform to retake control in the second half.

Johnny Cardoso’s 48' strike changes the dynamic

Just after the interval Johnny Cardoso took a rebound outside the area and unleashed a shot that threaded through several legs to find the net in the 48th minute, putting Atlético ahead 2-1. That goal shifted the dynamic at the start of the second half and forced Brugge to chase the game again, opening space for the collective play that produced Sorloth’s later goals.

Griezmann and Lookman help fashion the second Sorloth goal

The second Sorloth goal grew from coordinated play involving Griezmann and Lookman. Their involvement in the build-up freed space for the Norwegian forward to score his second of the night, underlining how Atlético combined individual finishing with team movement to secure the win.

What it means for Simeone and the squad

The result delivered a clear outcome for Cholo Simeone’s side: progression to the Octavos de Final of the competition. What makes this notable is that Sorloth’s performance has, for the moment, eclipsed Julián Álvarez, shifting attention within Atlético’s attacking options. The 4-1 victory on the night, following a 3-3 draw in the first leg, produced a 7-4 aggregate that closes the playoff and places Atlético into the Round of 16.

The atlético madrid - club brujas playoff contained multiple turning points—Mignolet’s involvement in the opener, Ordóñez’s corner equalizer, Oblak’s goal-line stop, Cardoso’s 48th-minute rebound finish, and Sorloth’s two-team-play-assisted goals plus a late clincher—that together determined which team advanced.