Atletico Madrid’s 7-4 aggregate Champions League play-off round victory over Club Bruges sees Diego Simeone’s new-look side roll on to face either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16, and comes as veteran attacker Antoine Griezmann mulls a possible move to MLS team Orlando City.
The build-up to Tuesday’s game saw The Athletic report that Orlando City were in advanced discussions to sign Griezmann, most likely this summer but potentially in the coming weeks, and the former France international came off the bench to play a key role in Atletico’s third goal of a 4-1 victory over Bruges on the night.
Although the hero at the Metropolitano was Atletico striker Alexander Sorloth who scored a superb hat-trick amid an outstanding all-round No 9 performance, helping his team progress despite further evidence of the defensive issues highlighted by last week’s 3-3 first leg in Belgium.
Simeone’s evolving side have been on a rollercoaster all season — they took just two points from their first three La Liga games, but then hammered Real Madrid 5-2 in September’s La Liga derbi.
USMNT’s Johnny Cardoso celebrates scoring the first Champions League goal of his career (Pierre-Philippe Marco/Getty Images)
Over the last month they have had some big wins, including a 4-0 Copa del Rey semi-final first leg victory over Barcelona, but also back to back defeats to Real Betis (0-1) and Rayo Vallecano (0-3) which ended any faint hopes of a La Liga title challenge.
That came after the club’s business in the January window brought tensions between long-serving manager Simeone and recently installed sporting director Mateu Alemany.
Atletico sold three players early in the month, including England international Conor Gallagher to Tottenham for €40m, leaving Simeone very thin in some positions, especially midfield and full-back. Reinforcements arrived late in the window — with Nigeria international wide-attacker Ademola Lookman (from Atalanta for €35m) the only recognised experienced addition among three arrivals late in the window.
The Argentine’s success during his 15 seasons at Atletico has often been built on a teak-tough defence and lots of aggression and physicality through his team — symbolised by previous warrior figures like Diego Godin and Diego Costa who backboned the teams which reached the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals.
The current squad has fewer no-nonsense defenders and lots more technical, attacking players — including Griezmann, Lookman, World Cup 2022 winner with Argentina Julian Alvarez and last summer’s €42m Spain international playmaker Alex Baena. Simeone is still trying to find the right balance in his team, as he admitted when asked at Tuesday’s press conference ahead of the Bruges game about eight goals conceded in their previous three outings.
“We’ve lots of attacking players whose strengths are going forward,” he said. “The team evolved in this way. But we need to get back our defensive side as we’re far away from where we want to be. We’re hoping to get back that balance we always look for.”
Atletico’s attacking potential and defensive issues were then very clear through the opening 45 minutes of Tuesday’s game. Both teams had chances during a helter-skelter opening, before Atletico went ahead when a long ball forward by goalkeeper Jan Oblak was controlled by Sorloth, who turned his marker Brandon Mechele and fired a powerful 20 yarder straight through Bruges keeper Simon Mignolet to the net.
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That appeared to put Atletico in control of the tie, but a Bruges side packed with young exciting players hit back. The visitors forced a series of corners, and one was eventually flicked on by Mechele, and nodded over the line from close range by fellow centre-back Joel Ordonez.
It meant Simeone’s team have yet to keep a clean sheet in any of their 10 Champions League games this term. It would have been 2-1 to the visitors before half-time, had Oblak not made a wonder save from a close range Hugo Vetlesen header.
Atletico emerged revved up from their half-time chat with Simeone, and they were soon in front themselves, when €24 million summer signing Johnny Cardoso rammed home a low 20-yarder for his first Atletico goal, and the first in the Champions League of his career.
Simeone’s first substitution came when Alvarez was hooked just before the hour mark, after another disappointing showing by the former Manchester City player. Griezmann — with his new platinum hair colour — received a huge cheer from the Atletico fans as he entered the pitch. It was a reception befitting the club’s all-time leading goalscorer with 210 goals (as well as 95 assists) in 481 games over his two spells.
The Orlando City target then showed his nous, intelligence and technical skills by playing a key role in the crucial goal for 3-1. When Atletico countered from deep, the 34 year old was back in his own half to link the play. Moments later he was up in the Bruges penalty area to feed the ball to fellow sub Lookman, whose cross was deflected to Sorloth, who took a touch and lashed an unstoppable shot to the net from six yards.
That realistically ended Bruges challenge, but the Norway international, once of Crystal Palace, was not finished, ramming home a side-foot volley from eight yards to complete the first hat-trick ever by an Atletico player in a Champions League knock-out game.
Alexander Sorloth has scored five goals in nine Champions League matches this season (Thomas Coex/Getty Images)
At full time, Simeone did not run down the tunnel as usual, staying to soak in the joyous atmosphere, as Griezmann went with his teammates to celebrate the victory with the ecstatic Atletico supporters.
“I was happy, there is enormous work behind all these results which are starting to be more positive than negative,” Simeone said afterwards. “Many new players arrived last season, and this season again, and reinventing ourselves is never easy. Today was a big challenge. Winning or losing changed the season, it was a big game, and the team responded well.”
The Argentine was not wrong, as elimination from the Champions League at this stage would have been a huge disappointment given Atletico have spent over €400m on new players over the last 18 months.
Signs of progress are also required by the club hierarchy given the ongoing changes behind the scenes at the Metropolitano. US fund Apollo Global Management have agreed to become majority shareholders (although that deal has yet to been fully completed), while the club are currently building an ambitious €800m ‘Sports City’ project on land surrounding the stadium.
There has long been an expectation that Griezmann — a huge NBA and NFL fan — would finish his playing career in the MLS. Although this week’s Orlando news has taken many around Atletico by surprise, and came at a delicate moment in their season.
Sporting director Alemany, who would have more freedom to spend this summer if Griezmann’s big salary was freed-up, declined to guarantee that the Frenchman would definitely stay at Atletico when speaking to Movistar TV before Tuesday’s game.
“I’m not going to talk about him, I love him a lot, we’ve spoken about many things, and I told him what I think,” Simeone said of Griezmann afterwards. “I hope he decides what he considers the best, and what he wants, because he deserves to do what he wants to do.”
Diego Simeone soaks up the atmosphere as Atletico reach the Last 16 (Pierre-Philippe Marco/Getty Images)
There has also been speculation over Simeone’s place in the club’s long-term project. El Cholo will forever be a hero among the rojiblanco fanbase for his achievements with the team as a player and a coach — but his last trophy won was the 2020-21 La Liga title.
With Atletico a distant fourth in La Liga, 13 points behind leaders Barcelona, and 12 behind second placed Real Madrid, cup competitions have been this season’s clear focus for some time now.
Next Tuesday, Simeone’s side go to Barcelona to defend their 4-0 Copa del Rey semi-final first leg advantage, so barring disaster they will have the final against either Real Sociedad or Athletic Club of Bilbao to look forward to on April 18.
But the most important for Simeone and Griezmann is the Champions League, with both coach and player having come so close to winning it with Atletico in the past, only to face bitter disappointment (Griezmann missed a penalty in their 2016 final loss to Real Madrid).
The Argentine was asked on Tuesday if qualifying for the competition’s last 16 for the 11th time in the last 13 years meant they had achieved an important objective.
“It’s really important for the club, for its financial strength and global growth, but we want more,” he replied. “We have the strength, energy and talent to go much further.”
Nobody can guarantee how much longer Simeone, or especially Griezmann, have left at Atletico. Two of the team’s worst performances this season came in Champions League group stage defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal. But the quickly evolving side should not be written off at all by either Liverpool or Tottenham in their upcoming last 16 tie.