Club Brugge vs Atletico Madrid: Super Eagles star suspended for second-leg after first-leg thriller

Club Brugge's Raphael Onyedika will miss the crucial second leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout playoff tie against Atlético Madrid.

The suspension follows a yellow card picked up during an electrifying 3-3 first-leg draw on Wednesday night at Jan Breydel Stadium.

The Nigerian midfielder was the standout performer of the night. He scored in the 51st minute to spark Brugge's comeback from 2-0 down and provided the assist for Christos Tzolis's dramatic 89th-minute equalizer.

His contributions helped cancel out strikes from Atletico's Julián Alvarez and fellow Nigerian Ademola Lookman, as well as an own goal by Joel Ordonez.

However, Onyedika's 76th-minute booking for a foul on Marcos Llorente triggered an automatic one-match suspension under UEFA rules. This rules him out of the return fixture at Estadio Metropolitano next week.

Brugge coach Ivan Leko expressed clear frustration post-match, highlighting the midfielder's irreplaceable role.

“Losing Onyedika for the second leg is a significant blow for Club Brugge,” Leko said.

“We don’t have another Rapha, so we will have to find a different solution.”

This certainly presents a tactical headache for Brugge, who rely heavily on Onyedika's energy, and ability to arrive late in the box, something that was on full display against Atletico.

Without him, the Belgian side must adapt quickly to keep their hopes of advancing alive in a tie that's finely balanced at 3-3 aggregate.