Chemsdine Talbi’s double helped Club Brugge take a three-goal lead at Atalanta before holding off a second-half onslaught to win 3-1 in their Champions League playoff on Tuesday, moving them into the last 16 by 5-2 on aggregate.
Club Brugge Dominant First Half Secures Victory
Ferran Jutgla scored the visitors’ other goal as Brugge stunned the Italians by leading 3-0 at halftime, but they had to fight a desperate rearguard action in the second half as the hosts attempted an unlikely comeback.
Ademola Lookman pulled one back for Atalanta, but a penalty was saved by veteran goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who made several other crucial saves to deny home hopes and advance the Belgian side to the next round.
They will play either Lille or Aston Villa, whose opponents will be determined in Friday’s draw.
After the first leg last week, Brugge took a slender 2-1 lead to the Stadio di Bergamo, but Talbi extended it within three minutes.
Jutgla slid the ball across the goal to the 19-year-old, whose quick feet created a shooting opportunity, which he fired low into the bottom corner of the net from 15 metres.
The visitors doubled their lead midway through the first half when Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi could only parry Christos Tzolis’ shot. Talbi scored on the rebound for his second goal.
Brugge’s third goal came three minutes into stoppage time at the end of the first period, thanks to Jutgla’s rasping low shot after catching Atalanta on the counterattack.
Seconds earlier, the home team had seen Davide Zappacosta’s shot pushed onto the Brugge post by Mignolet, who then made a follow-up save before Brandon Mechele cleared off the line.
Ademola Lookman Goal Sparks Atalanta Comeback Attempt
Atalanta brought on Lookman, who had just returned from injury, at the start of the second half, hoping that last season’s Europa League final hero could spark a comeback.
The London-born Nigeria international scored in 35 seconds, stretching his leg to convert Zappacosta’s cross and reviving the home crowd.
However, he squandered another opportunity to score when his penalty on the hour was saved by Mignolet, 36.
Following a lengthy VAR review, Atalanta was awarded the penalty kick after Tzolis was found to have tugged back Juan Cuadrado after a free kick.
Simon Mignolet Heroics Deny Atalanta Comeback
Mignolet’s stop proved decisive because it drained some of the atmosphere, and while Atalanta continued to attack relentlessly, they became increasingly desperate in the final stages and were dealt with competently by the Belgians.
“From the first half onwards, we defended the box together with body and soul. Even in the second half, when you know they are coming at you, we held that line and when a ball did get through, I was in the right place,” said Mignolet.
“These things happen in football. We took to the field with the desire to do well but they were perfect on the counter-attacks, while we didn’t take advantage of the opportunities we had,” said Cuadrado.
Atalanta finished with 10 men after frustrated captain Rafael Toloi received a straight red card for a shove on Maxim De Cuyper during an argument over a throw-in.
Italian Football Suffers Double Blow in Champions League
Atalanta’s elimination added to a calamitous night for Italian football, following AC Milan’s exit from Europe’s elite club competition after a 1-1 draw with visitors Feyenoord and a 2-1 aggregate loss.
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