Club Brugge beat Atalanta to reach Champions League last 16
Club Brugge booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday night. The Belgian club defeated Atalanta Bergamo 1-3 on its own turf with a clinical performance, knocking out the Italian side 5-2 on aggregate.
Prior to the start of the Champions League play-offs, Club Brugge were considered the underdogs against an Atalanta side that had won the Europa League last year. However, the imbalance of power was never in evidence on the pitch, as the Belgian champion produced a dominant performance to secure victory, just as they did last week.
Two Belgian players were instrumental in Club Brugge's success. After winning the Man of the Match award last week, 19-year-old Chemsdine Talbi once again stunned the footballing world with two goals in the first half. And 36-year-old Simon Mignolet denied the Italian side any hope of a comeback by saving Ademola Lookman's penalty.
"What a special night, again," said the goalkeeper in a post-match interview. "I am really happy that I still get to experience this. It's not often that I get goose bumps on the pitch, but that was definitely the case now."
Historic result
Tuesday's result was a historic one, as no Belgian club has ever survived a Champions League play-off round. However, due to changes in the format of the competition - the traditional group stage has been replaced by matches against eight different opponents - Club Brugge only matched their record from two years ago, when surviving the group stage led directly to the round of 16.
The West Flanders side could do even better this time around. In the next round, they will face either LOSC Lille of France or Aston Villa of England, two sides that, on paper at least, look no stronger than Atalanta.
Club Brugge will find out on Friday when the names are drawn in Nyon, Switzerland. The first leg is scheduled for Tuesday 4 March.
#FlandersNewsService | Club Brugge's goalkeeper Simon Mignolet celebrates after the match. © BELGA PHOTO BRUNO FAHY
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