Alexander Sorloth delivered a masterclass in front of 66,756 fans at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Tuesday night, scoring a hat-trick as Atletico Madrid dismantled Club Brugge 4-1 in the Champions League Knockout Phase Play-off Second Leg. With the first leg ending 3-3 in Belgium, Diego Simeone's side advanced 7-4 on aggregate to secure their place in the Round of 16, where they will learn their opponents in Friday's draw.
The Norwegian striker opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with a clinical left-footed finish after latching onto a long ball from goalkeeper Jan Oblak. Remarkably, the goal marked Oblak's first-ever assist for Atletico Madrid in his 529th appearance for the club, a statistic that drew loud cheers from the home faithful. Club Brugge responded just 13 minutes later when Ordonez rose highest to head home from a corner, levelling the match at 1-1 and briefly raising hopes of a Belgian comeback.
Those hopes were extinguished almost immediately after half-time. In the 48th minute, American midfielder Johnny Cardoso unleashed a thunderous half-volley from the edge of the box that rocketed into the net, restoring Atletico's lead and marking his first-ever Champions League goal. The USMNT international's strike was a moment of pure quality, leaving the Club Brugge goalkeeper rooted to the spot and sending the stadium into raptures.
Simeone's substitutions proved decisive in the second half. Antoine Griezmann entered the fray in the 58th minute, followed by Ademola Lookman in the 69th, and both injected fresh energy into the Atletico attack. Sorloth doubled his tally in the 76th minute, converting a Lookman cross with his left foot after the Nigerian winger combined brilliantly with Griezmann down the flank. The Norwegian was not finished, completing his hat-trick in the 87th minute when he arrived at the back post to steer home a Ruggeri cross with his right foot.
Sorloth's treble placed him in elite company, making him only the second Atletico Madrid player to score a Champions League hat-trick after Mario Mandzukic achieved the feat against Olympiacos in November 2014. The result also extended Atletico's remarkable unbeaten run in Champions League knockout regulation time to 20 matches, comprising 13 victories and 7 draws, a record that underscores the resilience Simeone has built into this squad over the years.
The match statistics painted an intriguing picture, with Club Brugge actually enjoying the greater share of possession at 54.7% compared to Atletico's 45.3%. Ivan Leko's side also managed 11 shots with 6 on target, while Atletico registered 14 shots with 5 on target. However, it was the clinical finishing of Sorloth and the explosive impact of Cardoso's strike that proved the difference between the two sides.
For Club Brugge, the defeat marks the end of their European campaign for this season, a bitter conclusion after their spirited 3-3 draw in the first leg had given them genuine belief they could progress. For Atletico Madrid, the focus now shifts to the Round of 16 draw on February 27, where they will be among the most feared opponents in the competition. With Sorloth in this kind of form and Simeone's tactical acumen at the helm, few teams will relish facing the Spanish giants in the next round.
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