Atlético Madrid cruised to a 4-1 victory over Club Brugge in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off on Tuesday, while Alexander Sørloth scored an hat-trick , sealing a 7-4 aggregate triumph.
Atlético fashioned the first real chance when Giuliano Simeone met a cross, but following a VAR review involving goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, no infringement was given.
The breakthrough arrived midway through the opening half, with Sørloth spinning past Brandon Mechele before firing beyond Mignolet to put the hosts ahead.
Brugge hit back before the interval. Mechele glanced a corner into the path of Joel Ordóñez, who found the net to restore parity on aggregate.
The visitors almost went in front moments later, but Jan Oblak denied Hugo Vetlesen to ensure the sides went into the break level.
Atlético regained control early in the second half as Johnny Cardoso unleashed a strike from outside the area that beat Mignolet. Brugge kept pushing forward, yet Oblak remained alert, comfortably handling efforts including a long-range attempt from Christos Tzolis.
Sørloth grabbed his second after a well-worked move involving substitutes Ademola Lookman and Antoine Griezmann, and later completed his hat-trick from a corner to wrap up Atlético’s passage to the next round.
The Spanish side are now unbeaten in regulation time across their last 20 Champions League knockout fixtures, recording 13 victories and seven draws.
They will meet either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur in the Round of 16, with the draw set to take place on Friday.
