Man City Secure Knockout Play-Off Spot as Liverpool Top Champions League Table

Manchester City Come from Behind to Advance

Manchester City secured their place in the Champions League knockout play-offs with a dramatic 3-1 comeback victory over Club Brugge at the Etihad Stadium.

The reigning champions faced an early setback when Raphael Onyedika found the net for Brugge just before halftime. However, City responded with confidence in the second half, scoring through Mateo Kovacic and Savinho, while Brugge’s Joel Ordonez netted an unfortunate own goal. This result ensures City’s place among the top 24 teams in the newly formatted competition.

Liverpool Stay on Top Despite PSV Defeat

Liverpool suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat against PSV Eindhoven but still managed to finish atop the standings. Barcelona missed the chance to leapfrog them after drawing 2-2 with Atalanta in a thrilling encounter.

Elsewhere, Arsenal, Inter, Atletico Madrid, and Bayer Leverkusen secured their spots in the last 16 with important wins. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal had a tense 2-1 victory over Girona, with goals from Jorginho and teenage sensation Ethan Nwaneri overturning an early strike from Arnaut Danjuma.

Lille and Aston Villa Clinch Last 16 Spots

Lille and Aston Villa grabbed the final two automatic qualification places with commanding wins. Lille dominated Feyenoord 6-1, while Aston Villa triumphed 4-2 over Celtic in an action-packed fixture.

Atalanta narrowly missed a top-eight finish but will enter the play-offs as a top seed, ahead of European powerhouses such as Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and AC Milan.

Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain secured their play-off spot with a comfortable 4-1 win over VfB Stuttgart, who were eliminated following Sporting CP’s 1-1 draw with Bologna.

Champions League Results – Final Matchday

• Aston Villa 4-2 Celtic
• Barcelona 2-1 Atalanta
• Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Sparta Prague
• Bayern Munich 3-1 Slovan Bratislava
• Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
• Brest 0-3 Real Madrid
• Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 AC Milan
• Girona 1-2 Arsenal
• Inter 3-0 Monaco
• Juventus 0-2 Benfica
• Lille 6-1 Feyenoord
• Manchester City 3-1 Club Brugge
• PSV Eindhoven 3-2 Liverpool
• Red Bull Salzburg 1-4 Atletico Madrid
• Sporting CP 1-1 Bologna
• Sturm Graz 1-0 RB Leipzig
• VfB Stuttgart 1-4 Paris Saint-Germain
• Young Boys 0-1 Crvena zvezda

What’s Next?

With the group stage wrapped up, all eyes turn to the knockout round draw. Who will face the toughest road to the final? Which teams are in the best form heading into the crucial matches?

What do you think? Can Manchester City defend their title, or will a new champion emerge? Share your thoughts in the comments!