Manchester City secured their spot in the Champions League knockout round play-offs with a 3-1 comeback victory over Club Brugge at the Etihad Stadium.
The Premier League champions were stunned by Raphael Onyedika’s goal just before halftime but bounced back strongly in the second half. Goals from Mateo Kovacic, Savinho, and an own goal by Brugge’s Joel Ordonez ensured City avoided an early European exit and confirmed their place in the top 24 of the revamped league phase.
Liverpool, despite a 3-2 loss to PSV Eindhoven, finished top of their group ahead of Barcelona, who were held to a 2-2 draw by Atalanta.
Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, and Bayer Leverkusen all clinched spots in the last 16 with wins, though Arsenal had to battle through a tense 2-1 victory over Girona. Jorginho and 16-year-old Ethan Nwaneri scored for the Gunners, securing their sixth win in eight games.
Lille and Aston Villa rounded out the automatic qualification spots for the last 16, with impressive 6-1 and 4-2 victories over Feyenoord and Celtic, respectively.
Atalanta narrowly missed out on a top-eight finish but secured a top seed for the knockout round play-offs, finishing ahead of heavyweights Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and AC Milan.
Paris Saint-Germain also advanced to the play-offs after a dominant win over VfB Stuttgart, who were eliminated following Sporting CP’s draw with Bologna.
