Ademola Lookman scored his first UEFA Champions League goal for Atlético Madrid as he and fellow Super Eagles star Raphael Onyedika both found the net in a pulsating 3-3 draw against Club Brugge in Belgium.
Atlético raced ahead early, with Julián Alvarez converting a penalty in the eighth minute following a handling error by Brugge’s Joaquin Seys. Lookman doubled the Spanish side’s lead just before halftime, steering in the ball with his knee—a strike that marked his third goal across all competitions for his new club and came against a team he had faced while at Atalanta last September.
The second half belonged to Brugge. Onyedika opened the scoring for the hosts shortly after the break, pulling them back into the contest. Nicolo Tresoldi then leveled the match at 2-2 with a well-timed finish past Jan Oblak, turning the game into a seesaw battle. Onyedika also contributed two assists during Brugge’s spirited resurgence.
Atlético appeared to regain the upper hand when Alexander Sorloth, coming on for Antoine Griezmann, forced an own goal from Joel Ordonez after hitting the woodwork and testing the Brugge defense. Yet Club Brugge refused to be denied, and Christos Tzolis struck in the 89th minute to secure a dramatic 3-3 draw ahead of the second leg in Madrid on Tuesday, February 24. The winner will face either Liverpool or Tottenham in the last 16.
Despite a bright start from the visitors, it was Brugge’s persistence that kept them in the game. Onyedika went close twice in the first half, while Tresoldi’s timely equalizer and Tzolis’s late finish ensured a thrilling outcome. Atlético manager Diego Simeone, still seeking consistency after a 3-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano, will look to regroup for the return leg.
Other notable Champions League results included Newcastle’s 6-1 demolition of Qarabag, Bodo/Glimt’s 3-1 victory over Inter, and Leverkusen’s 2-0 win at Olympiacos. In Europa League action, fixtures included Brann vs Bologna, Dinamo Zagreb vs Genk, Fenerbahce vs Nottingham, PAOK vs Celta Vigo, Celtic vs Stuttgart, Lille vs Crvena Zvezda, Ludogorets vs Ferencvaros, and Panathinaikos vs Plzen.
