- Club Brugge eliminated Atalanta with a 3-1 away victory, completing a 5-2 aggregate win in the Champions League playoffs
- Chemsdine Talbi scored twice in the first half, while Ferran Jutglà added a third before the break
- Ademola Lookman missed a second-half penalty, and Atalanta captain Rafael Toloi was sent off in the 87th minute
Key Takeaways:
Club Brugge secured a place in the Champions League Round of 16 after a 3-1 victory over Atalanta in Bergamo, sealing a 5-2 aggregate win in the playoffs. The Belgian champions had already won the first leg 2-1 at home and confirmed their passage with a commanding performance in Italy. Atalanta, the highest-seeded team in the playoff round, suffered an unexpected elimination on the same night Milan was knocked out by Feyenoord.
HISTORY! 🔵⚫️ 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟔, here we comeee! 😍❤️🔥 #ATACLU #UCL #PlayForUnforgettable pic.twitter.com/DhHzMDqTVR
— Club Brugge KV (@ClubBrugge) February 18, 2025
The match started perfectly for Club Brugge, who took the lead in the third minute. Chemsdine Talbi capitalized on Ferran Jutglà’s assist and slipped the ball through Marten de Roon’s legs to open the scoring. Atalanta thought they had equalized in the 17th minute when Mateo Retegui found the net, but his effort was disallowed for offside. Talbi then doubled the Belgians’ lead in the 27th minute, reacting first to a rebound after Christos Tzolis’ shot was parried.
Atalanta had a golden chance to pull one back just before halftime but failed to convert three consecutive opportunities in a single attack. Davide Zappacosta hit the post, Mario Pašalić’s header was denied by Simon Mignolet, and Brandon Mechele cleared Juan Cuadrado’s shot off the goal line. Moments later, Club Brugge broke forward, and Jutglà extended their lead with a powerful strike from the edge of the box.
Gian Piero Gasperini made a halftime change, bringing on Ademola Lookman, and the Nigerian forward made an immediate impact by scoring with his second attempt after his initial shot was saved. In the 56th minute, Lookman found the net again, but his goal was ruled out for handball. VAR had already intervened moments earlier to award Atalanta a penalty for a foul by Tzolis on Cuadrado. Lookman stepped up to take the spot-kick, but Mignolet denied him.
Atalanta’s frustrations boiled over in the 87th minute when captain Rafael Toloi was sent off for striking Maxim De Kuyper off the ball. With a man advantage, Club Brugge comfortably saw out the remaining minutes to secure their place in the next round. They will face either Lille or Aston Villa in the Round of 16.