Alexander Sorloth’s hat-trick fired Atletico Madrid into the Champions League last 16 with an emphatic 4-1 win over Club Brugge on Tuesday, progressing 7-4 on aggregate from the play-off round.
Brugge could not keep the Norwegian target man at bay as he settled an entertaining tie with a display of lethal finishing at the Metropolitano stadium.
After Joel Ordonez had cancelled out Sorloth’s opener, Johnny Cardoso smashed Atletico in front and Sorloth added two more goals late on to seal his team’s victory.
Diego Simeone’s Atletico, who have never won the competition, took a few minutes to get going in the early exchanges, and David Hancko blocked Hugo Vetlesen’s effort well as the visitors attempted to capitalise.
However, the Spaniards took the lead when goalkeeper Jan Oblak went route one from the back, finding Sorloth in a good position.
The powerful striker held off his marker and beat goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who handled the shot poorly and might have kept it out.
Julian Alvarez headed wide as Atletico, ascendant, looked for a second.
The Rojiblancos twice lost the lead in Belgium last week against Ivan Leko’s side, and it happened again a few minutes before half-time.
Ordonez nodded home from on the goal-line after Brandon Mechele flicked on a corner into his path.
Brugge almost took the lead before the break, but Oblak made a superb save to claw out Vetlesen’s header.
Instead, Atletico went ahead shortly after the restart, with Cardoso hammering home from the edge of the box after the ball was cleared into his path.
Atletico nervously held the lead, aware of the visitors’ threat, until Sorloth gave them some breathing room with his second of the night.
Ademola Lookman and Antoine Griezmann exchanged slick passes, and the former cut the ball back for Sorloth to dispatch.
The forward rounded off an excellent night by volleying home Matteo Ruggeri’s cross with three minutes to go.
Sorloth, who netted twice against Espanyol on Saturday in La Liga, has 10 goals in 2026 to date, even though he is often rotated in and out of Simeone’s team.
AFP