Club Brugge achieved a thrilling late equaliser as they made two comebacks against Atletico Madrid in the highly anticipated Club Brugge vs Atletico Madrid match, leaving their Champions League knockout phase play-off tie finely balanced.
The home team, who were down 2-0 at halftime due to a Julian Alvarez penalty and a goal from Ademola Lookman, regrouped after the break with Raphael Onyedika and Nicolo Tresoldi bringing them back on level terms.
An own goal by Joel Ordonez threatened to derail their progress until Christos Tzolis scored an equaliser in the 89th minute, concluding a fluctuating match.
The visitors started strongly, with Alvarez scoring from the penalty spot after home full-back Joaquin Seys misjudged a defensive clearance and was penalised for handling the ball in his own area.
Club Brugge vs Atletico Madrid takes off with a twist
When Lookman scored on his European debut for Atletico just before halftime, against a Club Brugge team he had faced while playing for Atalanta in September, Diego Simeone’s squad appeared to be on track for an easy win.
However, Nigeria international Onyedika managed to score shortly after the second half began, reinvigorating the hosts’ chances in the match.
And when the impressive Tresoldi equalised in the 60th minute, skillfully getting past his defender to direct the ball past away goalkeeper Jan Oblak, they seemed poised to complete an extraordinary comeback.
This was certainly no more than Club Brugge deserved, as Onyedika had come close to scoring twice in the first half, while Atletico had been guilty of becoming complacent after taking the lead.
Simeone, who had seen his team dominate Barcelona only to falter in a 3-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano, appeared far from pleased in his technical area, but the introduction of Alexander Sorloth helped to shift the momentum back in favor of his team.
The Norway international struck the woodwork just four minutes after coming on for Antoine Griezmann and nearly scored again before forcing Ordonez to inadvertently score an own goal.
However, Club Brugge would not be denied, as Greek international Tzolis secured a draw with a precise finish.
The second leg is scheduled to occur in Madrid on Tuesday, 24 February, with the victors set to meet Liverpool or Tottenham in the round of 16.
