Alexander Sorloth struck his maiden Champions League hat-trick as Atletico Madrid overcame a determined Club Brugge to secure a last-16 showdown with either Tottenham or Liverpool.
The Norwegian forward broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute, latching on to a long clearance from Jan Oblak before firing a half-volley that slipped past Simon Mignolet.
Brugge hit back 13 minutes later. From a corner, Brandon Mechele glanced the ball in at the near post, allowing Joel Ordonez — who had scored an own goal in the 3-3 first-leg draw — to head in the equaliser.
Moments after restoring parity, the visitors nearly turned the tie around when Hugo Vetlesen met a Christos Tzolis delivery, but Oblak produced an outstanding save to keep the scores level.
Cardoso impact swings tie
With the aggregate contest finely poised, Atletico raised their intensity after the interval. Three minutes into the second half, United States international Johnny Cardoso unleashed a fierce low strike from a distance to move the Spanish side 5-4 ahead overall.
Diego Simeone’s men had started brightly at the Wanda Metropolitano following a frustrating conclusion to last week’s encounter, where they surrendered a two-goal advantage.
Sorloth, selected ahead of Antoine Griezmann, had already made his mark early on, showing sharp control before catching Mignolet by surprise with his clinical finish.
Clinical finish seals progress
As Brugge continued to compete, Atletico found another gear in the closing stages. Sorloth, fresh from scoring twice against Espanyol in La Liga on Saturday, added two more goals in the final 14 minutes.
His composed finishing completed a memorable treble and ended Atletico’s three-match winless streak in the competition.
The victory ensured progression to the knockout phase, where Premier League opposition awaits in the next round.