Milan and Atalanta were eliminated from the Champions League playoffs as Feyenoord and Club Brugge advanced to the last 16. Feyenoord edged past Milan with a 1-1 draw in the second leg, progressing 2-1 on aggregate after Théo Hernandez’s sending-off changed the game. Club Brugge, meanwhile, stunned Atalanta with a 5-2 aggregate victory.
Milan had quickly overturned their first-leg deficit when Santiago Giménez scored in the first minute at San Siro. The Mexican striker, facing his former club, nodded in Malick Thiaw’s header across goal but chose not to celebrate. João Félix had a chance to extend the lead but missed, while Timon Wellenreuther made crucial saves to deny him and Hernandez.
The turning point came in the 51st minute when Hernandez was shown a second yellow card for diving. Milan, dominant up to that point, struggled with a man down. Feyenoord capitalized on their chance, as Hugo Bueno delivered a cross for Julián Carranza to head in the equalizer, securing the Dutch side’s progression. Tempers flared after the final whistle, with Feyenoord’s Givairo Reed receiving a red card.
Elsewhere, Atalanta suffered a heavy 3-1 home defeat to Club Brugge, who had arrived in Bergamo with a 2-1 lead. The Belgian side struck early, with Chemsdine Talbi finishing from Ferran Jutglà’s cross. Talbi doubled his tally when Marco Carnesecchi spilled a shot into his path, and Jutglà made it 3-0 before halftime with a composed finish.
Ademola Lookman gave Atalanta hope by scoring within 35 seconds of the restart, stretching to convert Davide Zappacosta’s cross. He later had a chance to further reduce the deficit, but Simon Mignolet saved his penalty. Atalanta’s night worsened when captain Rafael Toloi was sent off for shoving Maxim De Cuyper, sealing Club Brugge’s place in the next round.
Benfica advanced after a thrilling 3-3 draw against Monaco, securing a 4-3 aggregate win. They extended their first-leg advantage in the 22nd minute through Kerem Akturkoglu after a fine pass from Vangelis Pavlidis. However, Monaco responded, with Takumi Minamino equalizing before Eliesse Ben Seghir’s stunning strike leveled the tie.
Benfica regained control when they were awarded a penalty, converted by Pavlidis after Thilo Kehrer fouled Fredrik Aursnes. Monaco briefly led 3-2 on the night through George Ilenikhena, but Orkun Kokcu’s goal from Álvaro Carreras’ cross restored Benfica’s aggregate lead, sending them through.
The last 16 lineup will be completed on Wednesday, with Real Madrid, Dortmund, and PSG aiming to protect their first-leg leads at home against Manchester City, Sporting, and Brest, respectively. Juventus will face PSV Eindhoven, holding a narrow one-goal advantage from their first-leg victory in Turin.
