Manchester City snuck through to the play-off phase of the Champions League after coming from behind to beat Club Brugge 3-1 and finish 22nd of the 24 teams to secure qualification.
Pep Guardiola called for “something special” ahead of the game and what he got – first half at least – was something quite shocking, as City failed to muster any drive, intensity or shots on target, before getting stung on the break by Raphael Onyedika.
City knew ahead of time – having surrendered a 2-0 lead at PSG to lose 4-2 last week – that anything other than a win would consign them to an early exit from the competition they won just 18 months ago, but even that could not summon the urgency necessary to hurt Brugge.
Luckily for Guardiola, all that changed after the break when Savinho came on, providing more direct threat and creating gaps, allowing Mateo Kovacic to drive through the heart of midfield and sweep home the leveller.
Everything became a bit more straightforward thereafter as Josko Gvardiol forced young defender Joel Ordanez to turn through his own net before Savinho scored a well-worked third to ease any lingering nerves with 13 minutes to go.
The final standings of the Champions League group phase
Manchester City finishing 22nd – with only three wins from eight games – means they are now eyeing up a play-off against either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.
More to follow…
When are the knock-out draws?
To determine who plays who in the knockout rounds, there will be two draws after the league phase.
The first draw on Friday January 31 at 11am will determine which of the two options each team will get in the knockout playoff. For example, a team finishing 13th will find out whether they are playing against the team finishing 19th or 20th.
Seeded teams (9th-16th) will have the second leg at home and those play-off round matches take place on February 11/12 and February 18/19.
Teams seeded from first to eighth will have to wait until Friday February 21 to find out their opponents.
That draw will then determine who they face in the round of 16, and ultimately map out their full path to the final.
When are the 2024/25 Champions League knockout fixtures?
- Round of 16: March 4/5 and March 11/12, 2025
- Quarter-finals: April 8/9 and April 15/16, 2025
- Semi-finals: April 29/30 and May 6/7, 2025
- Final: May 31, 2025
