Atlético Madrid were drawn to a 0–0 draw with Club Brugge, reaching the knockout rounds. Mohamed Salah scored a hat-trick as Liverpool beat Rangers 7-1
Atlético Madrid were drawn to a 0–0 draw with Club Brugge, reaching the knockout rounds. Mohamed Salah scored a hat-trick as Liverpool beat Rangers 7-1
Belgium side Club Brugge reached the Champions League knockouts after a 0-0 draw against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, putting them in the top two of Group B.
After becoming the first Belgian team to win their opening three group games last week, Brugge reached the Round of 16 in Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 1990–91, when it was known as the European Cup.
Atlético missed several chances as they extended their winning streak to three games in the competition.
The Spanish side are second on four points, six behind Belgium and one ahead of Porto and Bayer Leverkusen, who have a game in hand and will play each other later on Wednesday.
Atletico will now face two crucial games against Leverkusen and Porto to stay alive in the competition.
Brugge was lively in the first half but ran out of steam after the break and then remained in the closing stages as Atletico tried in vain to open the visitors, who sent Kamal Sova late.
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was named player of the match after making a series of stops in the second half, which included two close-range saves in extra time to deny Alvaro Morata.
“It’s a dream! We fought till the end and finally we made it happen,” Mignolet told UEFA’s website.
“In previous years, it didn’t work out for us. We thought this year would be different – and now the merit is ours.
“But our story doesn’t end here: let’s see how far we can go.”
Atletico manager Diego Simeone left star Portuguese forward Joao Felix on the bench for a full 90 minutes.
The Argentine manager instead opted for Antoine Griezmann and ngel Correa to start from the front, the latter bringing Morata and Matthias Cunha off the bench.
But Brugge attacked Simeone’s defensive block and breached dangerous lines in the first half with successive balls and quick counters.
Sowa, Andreas Skov Olsen and Ferran Jatgala all squandered chances to score early.
Atletico was slowly gaining momentum, with Griezmann missing several chances.
The hosts nearly scored in the 20th minute after a one-touch passing combination between Griezmann and Korea saw Argentina’s low strike narrowly wide.
The Frenchman was denied by Mignolet in the 26th minute, blocking a short shot from the goalkeeper’s right foot.
A goal in the build up was dismissed for offside by Saul Nigge a few minutes later.
With Atletico in control, Brugge was awarded a penalty, but the decision was reversed by VAR as Tajón Buchanan stepped on Nahuel Molina’s ankle before the Argentine was trapped inside the field.
When Angel Correa was declared offside, another Atletico goal was canceled just after the break.
The hosts took a late possession and continued to put pressure on Sowa after being shown his second yellow card for kicking the ball into the stands at the close of play.
Nevertheless Mignolet made several saves to keep the game goalless and seal Brugge’s qualification.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates the team’s sixth goal against Rangers in the Champions League match in Glasgow. photo credit: action image via Reuters
Salah rediscovers the scoring touch
By his own astronomically high standards, this season has been disappointing for Mohamed Salah as he and Liverpool have struggled, but both the player and the club rediscovered their spark in a big showing at Rangers on Tuesday.
This time again tipped to become Manchester City’s main Premier League title challenger, Liverpool suffered their worst start to the domestic season in a decade, amassing just 10 points from their opening eight appearances.
Salah’s lack of goals has probably been one of the reasons for his downturn.
Two starts out of eight isn’t what you would normally associate with a player who averages 0.61 goals in the Premier League, but Egypt’s struggles have matched his team’s woes.
However, the form is only temporary. Salah and Liverpool were in dire need of a lift with champions Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday. The quickest hat-trick in Champions League history in 7-1 success from substitute Salah was exactly what the doctor ordered.
“We usually drink a beer after the away game, it is since I drank we would probably be drunk one after the other,” joked an enthusiastic Juergen Klopp after the match.
“The relief is huge. All the efforts are paying off. We all know when it’s going to be for Mo (Advice) he’s extraordinary, absolutely extraordinary. Obviously it was a different situation for him tonight, is coming.
“I hope everything works out for him from now on, just as I hope it does for us.”
After Salah took the bench for the first time this stint, Klopp went for a more youthful Liverpool lineup, as he looked to push his side to the brink of the last 16 against Rangers, and forget their home struggles.
The gamble seemed to have backfired as Liverpool jumped for the eighth time this season to win at Ibrox before a double from Roberto Firmino turned the match on its head.
Even after signing Darwin Nez in a close season, Liverpool did not look overly confident until Salah entered the fray, with his confidence building up a good world 3-1.
Defending left much to be desired from Rangers, but the way Salah stroked the ball into the net, especially for his treble-clinching third, was reminiscent of his Egyptian best.
A special performance will be needed for Liverpool to end City’s unbeaten start to the season on Sunday, but the prospect of Salah making another noteworthy contribution in this blockbuster clash now looks more promising.