Brugge second Belgian side to qualify

MADRID - Surprise package Club Brugge booked their place in the Champions League's last 16 with a 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

The Belgian side lead Group B with 10 points after keeping Diego Simeone's side at bay in Madrid, despite finishing the game with 10 men after Kamal Sowah was sent off in the 82nd minute.

Brugge stunned Atletico last week at home with a 2-0 win. Although they dropped their first points of the competition at the Metropolitano, they still qualified for the knockout rounds for the first time since 1990-91, when it was known as the European Cup.

They are only the second Belgian team to do so, after Gent's run to the last 16 in 2015-16.

Former Liverpool custodian Simon Mignolet made a series of impressive stops to deny the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Angel Correa, frustrating the Spanish side.

Simeone's men are third in the group on four points, with Bayer Leverkusen a point adrift in fourth after the German side lost 3-0 to second-placed Porto.

Across two games against Atletico, Mignolet has made 14 saves without conceding - the most from a goalkeeper against any team in a single season in the Champions League since records began in 2003.

"This is a dream. We fought until the end and we finally did it," the 34-year-old, who also denied Alvaro Morata twice from close range in added time, told Uefa's website.

"In previous years, it just didn't work out for us. We felt this year would be different - and now qualification is ours.

"But our story doesn't end here. Let's see how far we can go."

Elsewhere, Napoli maintained their 100 per cent record in Group A and eased into the last 16 after beating Ajax Amsterdam 4-2 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Early goals from Hirving Lozano and Giacomo Raspadori put the Serie A leaders comfortably ahead by the 16th minute. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added a second-half penalty after Davy Klaassen had pulled one back for Ajax.

The Dutch club made a desperate bid for a share of the spoils as Steven Bergwijn converted an 83rd-minute penalty to make it 3-2, but a bad defensive error allowed Victor Osimhen to score Napoli's fourth in the final minute.

"These players did something immense tonight and brought to the pitch the pride of the Neapolitans," said Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti.

His team have scored 17 goals in four matches with a brand of attacking football that has made them one of Europe's form sides.

They join holders Real Madrid and favourites Manchester City as clubs to watch when the round of 16 starts in February.

AFP, REUTERS