Manchester City confirmed their place in the Champions League knockout round play-offs with an impressive 3-1 comeback win over Club Brugge at the Etihad Stadium.
Despite going behind just before the break to Raphael Onyedika’s strike, the Premier League title holders responded with confidence in the second half to ensure their European campaign remained on track. Mateo Kovacic and Savinho found the net, while Brugge’s Joel Ordonez inadvertently turned the ball into his own goal, sealing a crucial victory for City and securing their place among the top 24 teams in the newly structured league phase.
Liverpool fall to PSV but still lead the standings
Liverpool suffered a 3-2 defeat against Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, yet they managed to hold onto the top spot in the rankings. Barcelona, who were close behind in the table, failed to capitalize as they were held to a thrilling 2-2 draw by Atalanta.
Meanwhile, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, and Bayer Leverkusen all confirmed their progression to the last 16 with important victories. Mikel Arteta’s side faced a stiff challenge against Girona, securing a 2-1 triumph thanks to goals from Jorginho and rising talent Ethan Nwaneri, overturning an early opener from Arnaut Danjuma. Arsenal’s win marked their sixth victory in eight matches, highlighting their strong European form.
Lille and Aston Villa claim final automatic spots
The last two direct qualification places for the round of 16 were claimed by Lille and Aston Villa, both of whom delivered dominant performances. Lille dismantled Feyenoord in a commanding 6-1 victory, while Aston Villa overcame Celtic in a high-scoring 4-2 encounter.
Atalanta narrowly missed out on automatic progression but secured top seeding in the play-offs, finishing ahead of European powerhouses such as Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and AC Milan.
Paris Saint-Germain also advanced to the play-offs with a convincing victory over VfB Stuttgart, who were eliminated from the competition following Sporting CP’s draw with Bologna. With the group phase complete, teams now turn their attention to the decisive knockout rounds, where the competition will only intensify.