Manchester City staged a thrilling comeback against Club Brugge to secure a place in the Champions League knockout phase on Wednesday night. The 3-1 victory at home means City avoided an early exit from the competition. They will now face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in a blockbuster play-off tie next month.
Paris Saint-Germain also booked their spot in the knockout stages, delivering an impressive 4-1 win over Stuttgart. After defeating City 4-2 last week, PSG continued their strong form in Europe.
Arsenal clinched direct qualification to the last 16 with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Girona. Goals from Jorginho and young talent Ethan Nwaneri sealed the win, ensuring the Gunners topped their group.
Elsewhere, Inter Milan secured fourth place by defeating 10-man Monaco 3-0, while Atletico Madrid extended their Champions League winning streak to five with a commanding 4-1 victory against Salzburg in Austria. Bayer Leverkusen beat Sparta Prague 2-0, and Lille surged into the top eight with a dominant 6-1 thrashing of Feyenoord.
Aston Villa made a remarkable return to Europe’s elite competition after 42 years, sneaking into eighth place. Morgan Rogers netted a hat-trick in their 4-2 win over Celtic, marking a night to remember for Villa fans.
Teams like Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and AC Milan narrowly missed out on a top-eight finish, ending just one point shy. AC Milan, seven-time winners, suffered a 2-1 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb, with Yunus Musah’s red card playing a pivotal role. Milan will now face either local rivals Juventus or Feyenoord in the play-offs.
Liverpool finished at the top of their group despite a 3-2 loss to PSV Eindhoven. Barcelona drew 2-2 with Atalanta, leaving the Italian side in an agonizing ninth place.
The draw for the play-offs will include heavyweights like PSV Eindhoven, Benfica, Monaco, Brest, Feyenoord, Juventus, Celtic, Sporting Lisbon, and Club Brugge. The stage is set for more exciting clashes as teams vie for a spot in the next round.
