Alexander Sorloth scored a hat-trick as Atletico Madrid booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 4-1 win over Club Brugge in their play-off second-leg.
2025/2026 UEFA Champions League
4-1
Match Report
Sorloth opened and concluded the scoring at the Estadio Metropolitano on Tuesday, with Diego Simeone's side coming out on top to win the tie 7-4 on aggregate and advance.
After an end-to-end start, Atletico edged in front in the 23rd minute when Sorloth collected Jan Oblak's long punt forward, with the Norwegian holding off Brandon Mechele's challenge before firing a left-footed shot at goal that somehow found its way past Simon Mignolet's grasp.
But Joel Ordonez's 36th-minute header deservedly hauled Brugge level, with the visiting defender nodding home at the back post after Mechele flicked on Christos Tzolis' corner.
And the visitors almost led less than a minute later, but Hugo Vetlesen's point-blank header from another Tzolis cross was brilliantly kept out on the line by Oblak.
That intervention proved crucial for Atletico, who retook the lead three minutes into the second half, when Johnny Cardoso's half-volley whistled into the bottom-left corner.
Brugge struggled to create anything thereon, and their elimination from the competition was all but confirmed 14 minutes from time when Ademola Lookman's deflected cutback fell to Sorloth, who took a touch before picking out the corner from close range.
However, there was still time for Sorloth to complete his treble, with the Atletico number nine volleying Matteo Ruggeri's teasing delivery into the penalty area past Mignolet in the 87th minute.
WHAT A NIGHT pic.twitter.com/F2j9tcXnN2
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) February 24, 2026
Data Debrief: Sensational Sorloth seals European first
Atletico had failed to win their last four games against Brugge while also going winless in their last three Champions League matches overall, but Sorloth was at his clinical best here to tee up a meeting with either Liverpool or Tottenham in the next round.
Indeed, Sorloth became just the second Atletico player to score a Champions League hat-trick, after Mario Mandzukic, who did so against Olympiacos in November 2014. He is also now enjoying his best scoring campaign in European competition with five goals.
Sorloth has also now scored as many goals against Brugge as he managed in his other 20 appearances in the Champions League combined (three), but despite the scoreline depicting a comfortable passage for Atletico, it was anything but.
Brugge registered an expected goals (xG) total of 1.85 from their 11 shots compared to Atletico's 2.32 from their 14 attempts.
Simeone will want to see improvements from his team heading into the next round, especially from set-pieces. They have conceded eight goals from such scenarios in the Champions League this term, their most in a single edition of the competition.
Match Events
23' GOAL! Atletico 1-0 Club Brugge (Alexander Sørloth)
36' GOAL! Atletico 1-1 Club Brugge (Joel Ordonez)
48' GOAL! Atletico 2-1 Club Brugge (Cardoso)
75' GOAL! Atletico 3-1 Club Brugge (Alexander Sørloth)
87' GOAL! Atletico 4-1 Club Brugge (Alexander Sørloth)
Line-ups
Atletico XI: Oblak, Koke, Sørloth, Llorente, Dávid Hancko, Álex Baena, Alvarez, Matteo Ruggeri, Johnny Cardoso, Marc Pubill, Giuliano Simeone
Subs: Griezmann, Lenglet, Musso, Gimenez, Le Normand, Lookman, Molina, Thiago Almada, Salvi Esquivel, Rodrigo Mendoza, Obed Vargas
Club Brugge XI: Mignolet, Vanaken, Mechele, Hugo Vetlesen, Christos Tzolis, Carlos Forbs, Aleksandar Stanković, Nicolò Tresoldi, Joel Ordóñez, Kyriani Sabbe, Joaquin Seys
Subs: Nordin Jackers, Gustaf Nilsson, Hugo Siquet, Cisse Sandra, Romeo Vermant, Jorne Spileers, Bjorn Meijer, Félix Lemaréchal, Axl De Corte, Mamadou Diakhon, Shandre Campbell, Vince Osuji