Atletico Madrid secured their place in the Champions League last 16 with a 4-1 victory over Club Brugge, despite a 3-3 first-leg draw. Alexander Sorloth scored a hat-trick in the second leg. Bayer Leverkusen also progressed, holding Olympiakos to a 0-0 draw after a 2-0 away win in the first leg.
The second leg of the Champions League play-off tie between Atletico Madrid and Club Brugge unfolded at Atletico's home ground, resulting in a 4-1 win for Diego Simeone's side and a 7-4 aggregate victory. The first leg had ended 3-3 in Belgium. Brugge started strongly, refusing to yield easily, but Atletico took the lead through Alexander Sorloth. Joel Ordóñez equalized for Brugge after 13 minutes.
The momentum shifted early in the second half when Atletico midfielder Johnny Cardoso, a United States international who joined from Real Betis last summer, scored his first goal for the club with a low shot past goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, a former Liverpool player. This gave Atletico the advantage they needed. Sorloth then dominated, adding goals in the 76th and 87th minutes to complete his hat-trick. This marked only the second Champions League hat-trick in Atletico's history, following Mario Mandzukic's against Olympiakos in November 2014.
In the other play-off tie, Bayer Leverkusen advanced comfortably with a goalless draw at home against Olympiakos, securing a 2-0 aggregate win after their first-leg success in Greece. The match at the BayArena was cautious, with Leverkusen prioritizing control over flair, having already done most of the work.
Atletico Madrid will now face either Liverpool or Tottenham from the Premier League in the round of 16 draw on Friday. The teams progressing from the league phase include Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern München, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Sporting CP, and Tottenham. From the play-offs, Newcastle, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, and Bodø/Glimt also advanced.
