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Club Brugge dump Atalanta out of Champions League / Photo: © AFP
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Club Brugge dump Atalanta out of Champions League
Teenage starlet Chemsdine Talbi scored twice as Club Brugge claimed a 3-1 victory away to Atalanta in Italy on Tuesday to win their Champions League play-off tie 5-2 on aggregate and advance to the last 16.
Talbi's brace was followed by a superb Ferran Jutgla strike as the Belgians built on their 2-1 win at home in last week's first leg and advanced to a tie against either Lille or Aston Villa in the next round.
Atalanta had 29 attempts on goal but were punished on the break by the Belgians and Ademola Lookman's reply at the start of the second half was scant consolation.
Lookman also had a penalty saved while Atalanta captain Rafael Toloi was sent off late on, as last season's Europa League winners bowed out of Europe.
It is a major surprise as Atalanta had finished ninth in the table in the league phase, just missing direct qualification for the last 16, while Club Brugge came 24th, taking the last spot in the play-offs.
The Belgians had claimed a surprising and highly controversial victory in last week's first leg thanks to a disputed late penalty converted by Gustaf Nilsson.
They went ahead on Tuesday in Bergamo inside three minutes as Jutgla teed up Talbi, who still had work to do before firing low into the far corner.
Talbi, the 19-year-old winger, enjoying something of a breakthrough season, struck again on 27 minutes, following in to score after a Christos Tzolis shot had been parried.
Incredibly, the visitors then made the score 3-0 on the night in first-half stoppage time when Tzolis supplied Jutgla and the former Barcelona youngster lashed in a shot from the edge of the box.
Atalanta needed to score four in the second half just to force extra time, and they got one back within a minute of the restart through Nigerian star Lookman.
They then won a penalty when Tzolis was penalised for bringing down Juan Cuadrado, but Lookman's kick was saved by Club Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
With the game gone for the Italians, Toloi's frustration got the better of him as he was sent off three minutes from time for charging at Maxim De Cuyper and knocking his opponent over after trying to throw the ball at him, and then slipping.
Club Brugge will discover their next opponents in Friday's draw for the last 16 -- they have already played Aston Villa, beating the Premier League side 1-0 at home in the league phase in November.
Q.Taylor--SFF
