Club Brugge 3-3 Atletico: Lookman, Onyedika shine in 6-goal thriller
Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman netted his third goal for Atletico Madrid as the Spanish side played out a 3-3 draw against Raphael Onyedika’s Club Brugge in the first leg
Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman netted his third goal for Atletico Madrid as the Spanish side played out a 3-3 draw against Raphael Onyedika’s Club Brugge in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off on Wednesday night.
The 28-year-old, a €40 million January signing for Los Rojiblancos, continues to justify his price tag. Since arriving in Spain, Lookman has been a standout performer, adding this European strike to previous goals against Real Betis and Barcelona in the Copa del Rey.
Seeking a decisive first-leg advantage, manager Diego Simeone deployed an aggressive attacking trio of Julian Alvarez, Antoine Griezmann, and Ademola Lookman at the Jan Breydel Stadion.
The breakthrough came following a VAR intervention. David Hancko’s goal-bound effort was blocked by Brugge defender Joaquin Seys; after reviewing the pitchside monitor, referee Glenn Nyberg awarded a penalty for handball. Julian Alvarez converted clinically from 12 yards, firing past Simon Mignolet to give Atletico an early lead.
Club Brugge nearly responded in the 12th minute. Nigerian midfielder Raphael Onyedika latched onto a precise pass and unleashed a powerful first-time strike, only to be denied by a spectacular save from Jan Oblak.
Just before the interval, Atletico doubled their lead. Antoine Griezmann flicked on a corner into the path of Lookman, who reacted with a poacher’s instinct to poke the ball home, making it 2-0.
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The home side emerged for the second half with renewed intensity. Raphael Onyedika pulled one back for the hosts, reacting quickest to bury a rebound after Oblak had parried a shot from Nicolo Tresoldi. Although the goal was initially flagged for offside, it was subsequently validated by VAR.
Buoyed by the momentum, Club Brugge continued to press and eventually found an equalizer. Nicolo Tresoldi got on the end of a brilliant Mamadou Diakhon delivery, sliding the ball past Oblak to level the score at 2-2.
Simeone responded to the equalizer by ringing the changes, introducing Alex Baena for Lookman and Alexander Sorloth for Griezmann in the 62nd and 66th minutes, respectively.
The deadlock was finally broken 12 minutes from time in unfortunate circumstances for the hosts. In an attempt to intercept a dangerous cross, Club Brugge defender Joel Ordoñez inadvertently diverted the ball into his own net.
Atletico Madrid thought they have secured the win but Onedika slipped a pass to Christos Tzolis and he made no mistake with his finish to end the match 3-3. The two sides will meet again for the second leg next Tuesday at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
