Atletico Madrid booked their place in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 with a 4-1 home victory over Club Brugge, sealing a 7-4 aggregate triumph.
After a 3-3 draw in Belgium, the Spanish side delivered a controlled performance at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano to close out the tie, led by a clinical performance from Alexander Sorloth.
Early control and response
Atlético opened scoring in the 23rd minute when Alexander Sørloth collected a long pass from goalkeeper Jan Oblak and finished first time past Simon Mignolet.
The hosts dominated possession and territory but were briefly pegged back in the 36th minute.
Defender Joel Ordonez headed in from a corner to level the score on the night and raise hopes of a comeback for the Belgian champions.
Despite that setback, Atlético maintained composure heading into the interval, aware that a single goal would swing the tie firmly in their favour.
Second-half authority
The breakthrough came quickly after the restart. In the 48th minute, Johnny Cardoso struck from distance to restore the lead and reassert control of the contest.
With Brugge still chasing the game, head coach Diego Simeone introduced Ademola Lookman to add pace on the break.
The substitution proved decisive in the 76th minute when Lookman provided the assist for Sorloth’s second goal, effectively ending the visitors’ resistance.
Sorloth completed his hat-trick in the 87th minute, converting a cross from Matteo Ruggeri to cap a dominant performance.
Atlético now progress to the last 16, where they will meet either Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool.