Champions League – Thierry Thoreau scores a hat-trick as Atletico Madrid thrashes Club Brugge 4-1 to advance to the Round of 16.

In the second leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off, Atletico Madrid defeated Club Brugge 4-1 at home. With this victory, they advanced to the round of 16 with a 7-4 aggregate score.

Atletico Madrid and Club Brugge traded attacks early on, but neither could find the net. In the 8th minute, Koke's cross from the right wing caused Aleksandar Stankovic to misjudge the clearance, and Alex Baena's shot went over the bar. In the 9th minute, Christos Zolis' cutback from the right wing found Stankovic, whose low shot from outside the box was comfortably saved by Jan Oblak. In the 13th minute, Koke's cross from the right wing was met by Giuliano Simone, whose close-range shot was denied by Simon Mignolet.

In the 23rd minute, Oblak's long pass from the front of the goal linked up with Alexandre Thelott in the attacking third. Thelott, after holding off Brandon Mechele's defense, unleashed a powerful shot that beat Mignolet. With Thelott's physical prowess giving him the lead, Atletico Madrid finally broke the deadlock. However, they failed to maintain their lead into halftime: in the 36th minute, Mechele's header created a golden opportunity for Joel Odons, who headed home from close range to equalize.

After that, Club Brugge had several chances to take the lead. In the 39th minute, Zolis delivered a cross from the left flank, and Hugo Wittelsen's close-range header forced Oblak to make a save. In the 44th minute, Zolis again linked up with Wittelsen and unleashed a shot, but Oblak made a diving save.

After the break, Atletico Madrid responded quickly. Just two minutes later, American midfielder Johnny Cardozo scored with a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area, putting Atletico back in the lead. In the 76th minute, Ademola Lookman's low shot after receiving a cross from Antoine Griezmann inside the penalty area was blocked, but Thierry followed up to score. In the 87th minute, Matteo Ruggeri crossed from the left wing, and Thierry volleyed home to complete his hat-trick. Neither side managed to score again, and the final score remained 4-1.

Image source: Internet