Atletico Madrid are evolving, but still cannot be written off

Madrid — The final whistle had barely echoed around the Metropolitano before Alexander Sorloth disappeared beneath a knot of red-and-white shirts, the Norway striker still processing the first Champions League knockout-phase hat-trick in Atletico Madrid history. The 4-1 win over Club Brugge on Tuesday, sealing a 7-4 aggregate passage to the last 16, felt less like a routine progression than a statement of intent from a side in flux yet fiercely alive.

Diego Simeone’s squad has spent the season ricocheting between exhilaration and anxiety. A 5-2 derbi rout of Real Madrid in September sits beside a 3-0 capitulation at Rayo Vallecano; a 4-0 Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg demolition of Barcelona contrasts with back-to-back league defeats that left them 13 points adrift of the Liga summit. Even over 180 minutes against Brugge, Atletico shipped four goals, extending their unwanted record of zero clean sheets in ten European outings this term.

“We’ve lots of attacking players whose strengths are going forward,” Simeone admitted on the eve of the return leg. “The team evolved in this way. But we need to get back our defensive side.”

The evidence was visible inside the opening half-hour. Jan Oblak’s long punt forward was cushioned, spun and thumped home by Sorloth for 1-0, only for Joel Ordonez to nod in an equaliser amid more set-piece chaos. Oblak’s fingertip denial of Hugo Vetlesen preserved parity until the break, when Simeone’s halftime recalibration ignited a different beast.

Johnny Cardoso, the €24 million summer arrival from Real Betis, arrowed a 20-yard drive for his maiden Atletico goal. Alex Alvarez’s quiet night ended just before the hour; on came Antoine Griezmann, hair dyed platinum, greeted by a roar reserved for the club’s all-time leading marksman. The 34-year-old dropped into his own half to knit a counter, advanced, and slipped the ball to Ademola Lookman, whose deflected cross sat up for Sorloth to lash in. The Norwegian completed his treble with a side-foot volley, sparking scenes Simeone lingered over rather than retreating down the tunnel.

“I was happy,” the Argentinian said. “Reinventing ourselves is never easy. Today was a big challenge; the team responded well.”

Response has become essential. Atletico have committed more than €400 million in transfer fees since summer 2023, part of a wider overhaul that includes American fund Apollo Global Management poised to become majority shareholders and an €800 million “Sports City” rising around the stadium. January business heightened tensions between Simeone and new sporting director Mateu Alemany: Conor Gallagher departed for Tottenham in a €40 million deal, while only Ademola Lookman arrived with top-tier pedigree, joining on February 2 for €35 million.

The squad now bristles with creators — Griezmann, Lookman, Julian Alvarez, €42 million midfielder Alex Baena — yet lacks the granite profiles of vintage Atletico sides built on Diego Godín or Diego Costa. Simeone is still searching for equilibrium, a pursuit complicated by Griezmann’s uncertain future. Orlando City are in advanced talks to sign the Frenchman, potentially this month, freeing a significant salary slot for Alemany ahead of summer reinforcements. Asked whether Griezmann would remain, Alemany offered no assurances; Simeone was more sanguine. “He deserves to do what he wants.”

Whatever the decision, the Champions League remains the competition that defines this era. Atletico have reached the last 16 for the 11th time in 13 seasons, a benchmark Simeone labels “important for the club’s financial strength and global growth,” yet only a stepping stone. They will meet either Liverpool or Tottenham, two opponents who embarrassed them during the league phase, but Tuesday’s evidence suggests writing off this evolving ensemble would be premature.

Sorloth’s nine-minute hat-trick, Griezmann’s cameo mastery and the emergence of Cardoso hint at a ceiling still rising. First, a Copa del Rey second leg at Barcelona beckons next Tuesday, where a four-goal cushion should book an April final. Beyond that, Europe’s elite await — and Atletico, for all their defensive headaches, carry firepower capable of scarring anyone.

As Simeone left the pitch to applause, the Metropolitano soundtrack felt less like an ending than a prologue. Evolution is messy, but it is rarely predictable.