UCL: Lookman Shines as Sorloth treble fires Atletico into Last 16
Ademola Lookman made an immediate impact off the bench, providing a crucial assist as Atletico Madrid brushed aside Club Brugge to secure their spot in the UEFA Champions League Round
Ademola Lookman made an immediate impact off the bench, providing a crucial assist as Atletico Madrid brushed aside Club Brugge to secure their spot in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. The Spanish giants now look ahead to a formidable knockout tie against either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur.
But the night belonged to Alexander Sorloth, the conductor of Atletico’s Metropolitano orchestra, who netted a clinical hat-trick.
The match began with early nerves for Diego Simeone’s side. Brugge’s Hugo Vetlesen nearly drew first blood, only to be denied by a sliding block from David Hancko. Atletico soon found their footing through a direct route: Jan Oblak’s long ball found Sorloth, who muscled past his marker and fired a shot that Simon Mignolet failed to keep out.
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The visitors, managed by Ivan Leko, refused to fold. Just before halftime, Joel Ordonez tapped home at the back post after Brandon Mechele flicked on a corner. Brugge nearly snatched the lead moments later, but Oblak produced a world-class save to deny Vetlesen’s header, keeping the aggregate score level at the break.
Atletico regained the lead shortly after the restart when Johnny Cardoso rifled a powerful effort from the edge of the box. However, the game remained in the balance until the introduction of Nigeria international Ademola Lookman in the 70th minute.
Lookman, a recent €40 million signing from Atalanta, took just eight minutes to leave his mark. After a slick exchange of passes with Antoine Griezmann, the Super Eagles star cut the ball back perfectly for Sorloth to slot home, making it 3-1.
Sorloth completed his treble in the 87th minute, emphatically volleying home a cross from Matteo Ruggeri to seal a 4-1 victory on the night (7-4 on aggregate).
