Sorloth hat-trick sends Atletico Madrid into Champions League last 16
Atletico Madrid striker Alexander Sorloth scored a hat-trick as the Spanish side saw off Belgium’s Club Brugge on Tuesday to win the second leg of their Champions League playoff 4-1 and advance to the last 16 with a 7-4 aggregate triumph.
Johnny Cardoso scored the other goal for the home side while Joel Ordonez netted for Brugge in the 36th minute.
Atletico opened the scoring after Brugge’s Hugo Vetlesen had two good chances blocked in the early stages as the Belgians came out of the blocks with attacking intent and a high-pressing game despite being unfancied after a 3-3 draw in the first leg last week.
But Atletico’s quality triumphed after a dominant second half and they go into Friday’s round-of-16 draw to determine whether they play either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur.
Sorloth cracked home a shot that squeezed under the body of Brugge’s veteran goalkeeper Simon Mignolet in the 23rd minute after he cleverly held up a long kick out by home goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
The Norwegian striker took a couple of touches before firing in a left-footed effort that Mignolet allowed to slip under his body.
Brugge, however, netted a deserved equaliser from a set-piece. Brandon Mechele flicked on Christos Tzolis’s corner from the left leaving Ordonez with a simple close-rangeheader.
Soon after, Oblak made a superb one-handed save on the line to deny Vetlesen.
But while Brugge were competitive in the first half, they faded after the break.
The home lead was restored two minutes into the second half when Cardoso hit home an effort from the edge of the penalty box. Mechele cleared Giuliano Simeone’s cross from the left, but his header fell for Cardoso who controlled with his chest before converting with his right foot.
Sorloth’s second came in the 76th minute, sidefooting home with his left after passes between substitutes Ademola Lookman and Antoine Griezmann set him up for an easy finish.
The Norway international then converted Matteo Ruggeri’s cross from the left at the back post with another side-footed finish in the 87th minute to complete his hat-trick and emphasise Atletico’s second-half dominance.