Ademola Lookman and Raphael Onyedika were on target as Club Brugge and Atlético Madrid played out a dramatic 3-3 draw in their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off first leg on Wednesday night.
It was a historic evening for Nigeria. Lookman and Onyedika became the first Nigerian players to score in the same Champions League knockout match for their respective teams.
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The pulsating encounter in Belgium leaves the tie finely balanced ahead of the return leg in Madrid, while Atlético are still searching for a first away win against the Belgian champions after five attempts.
Despite Brugge’s strong home record in Europe, it was Diego Simeone’s side who struck first. Seven minutes in, a VAR review penalised Joaquin Seys for handball, and Julián Alvarez calmly converted the resulting penalty past Simon Mignolet.
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The visitors doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time, though the scoreline hardly reflected the balance of play. After Jan Oblak had made key saves to deny Nicolò Tresoldi and Onyedika from distance, Atlético punished Brugge at the other end. Antoine Griezmann flicked on a Marcos Llorente corner, and Lookman reacted quickest at close range to bundle the ball home on his Champions League debut for the Spanish side.
Brugge responded strongly after the break. Seven minutes into the second half, Onyedika pulled one back. Oblak had produced a fine save to stop Tresoldi’s header, but the Nigerian midfielder was alert to the loose ball and applied a composed finish from inside the box.
The hosts completed a remarkable turnaround just past the hour mark when Tresoldi stretched to poke Mamadou Diakhon’s cross beyond Oblak, sending the home crowd into celebration.
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Simeone reacted by introducing Alexander Sørloth, and the Norwegian forward quickly made his presence felt. His aerial threat unsettled the Brugge defence, and Atlético regained the lead when Joel Ordóñez inadvertently turned Llorente’s cross into his own net under pressure.
Yet the drama was far from over. With the match swinging from end to end, Christos Tzolis produced a superb angled finish late on to make it 3-3 and ensure the aggregate score remains level ahead of next week’s decisive second leg.
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The result extends Brugge’s unbeaten run against Spanish opposition to six matches and underlines their resilience at home. For Atlético, it continues a frustrating run on the road, with just one win in their last five away games in all competitions.
Other games
Elsewhere, Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt stunned Inter Milan 3-1 to take control of their tie. Sondre Fet opened the scoring before Francesco Pio Esposito equalised. Jens Petter Hauge restored the lead after the break, and Kasper Høgh sealed the win as the hosts secured a two-goal advantage heading to Milan.
In Azerbaijan, Newcastle United produced a dominant display to thrash Qarabag FK 6-1. Anthony Gordon struck four times in a devastating first half as the Premier League side all but booked their place in the round of 16.
With goals, comebacks and history made, the first legs delivered high drama, setting up decisive nights across Europe next week.
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