Two weeks ago Atletico Madrid veteran Jan Oblak claimed that his side could not afford to pick and choose the games they turned up for, but the general consensus at the Metropolitano is that the Champions League and Copa del Rey should be their priorities for the remainder of the season. Club Brugge demonstrated in their 3-3 draw in Belgium last week that they were an uncomfortable opponent for Los Colchoneros.
That was proving to be the case in the opening 20 minutes. Winger Carlos Forbs missed the first leg through injury, but was starting to be a problem for Matteo Ruggeri on the left. Marc Pubill was forced into a vital block, while Nicolo Tresoldi was inches away from connecting with a free header. Atletico were keen to relieve the pressure when Jan Oblak went long to Alexander Sorloth. The Norwegian seemed to be simply holding the ball up, well, but his snapshot caught Simon Mignolet off guard, and what should have been a simple shot squirmed through for the opening goal after 23 minutes.
🚨 Atletico Madrid have NOT kept a single cleansheet in the Champions League this season. They have played a total of 9 games and conceded 18 goals.
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) February 24, 2026
Spurred on, Giuliano Simeone and Alex Baena took it in turns to make inroads down the left, but both cutbacks were not connected with. On the half-hour mark, Julian Alvarez put a free header wide from Ruggeri’s cross too, as the balance of the tie began to shake. Just as in the first leg though, Brugge showed they had personality to go with their talent. After successive set pieces, Brandon Mechele flicked on at the near post and Joel Ordonez nodded into an empty net at the back post. Now it was Atletico rocking, after a sweeping move from one box to another ended in a Christos Tzolis cross onto the diving header of Hugo Vetlesen. Oblak’s strong hand to keep it out was audible, a massive save five minutes before the break.
If Simeone looked stressed before the break, he showed little joy when Johnny Cardoso gave Atletico the perfect start after it, but he must have been breathing easier. A corner was cleard to the edge of the box, and Cardoso took it on his chest, before firing the bouncing ball, with the help of a slight deflection, low into bottom left corner just two minutes after the restart. Just as occurred in the first half, Atletico began to come in waves at Brugge after the goal, but without necessarily working Simon Mignolet.
As the waves of pressure flattened, Brugge began to work their way back into the game for a second time. From the hour-mark, the Belgian side began to play in the Atletico half, with Ademola Lookman now on to try and exploit the extra space on the break. As it was, Simeone’s changes had the desired effect. Marcos Llorente sent Sorloth in behind from deep, and he found Lookman on the left. Playing a one-two with another substitute, Antoine Griezmann, Lookman’s square ball found Sorloth on his own in the middle, able to finish from close range and give Los Colchoneros a two-goal cushion for the second time in the tie.
❤️🤍
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) February 24, 2026
That settled the tie in the minds of the players more than anything, and Atletico began to enjoy themselves in the remaining 12 minutes. With three to go, Matteo Ruggeri flighted the ball to the back post from a short corner, where Sorloth volleyed in with his left; the Italian has a third assist in two games, and the Norwegian a fifth goal in his last two.
Overall, Atletico will feel they did enough to win the tie, having shown the ruthless edge in the final third that Brugge lacked. While the three-goal deficit will look exaggerated to Brugge, who caused Los Colchoneros as many problems as they dealt with for the most part of the two legs, Atletico managed the second leg better than the first, and when they are on song, are scoring for fun. They will face one of Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool in the Round of 16.
