Manchester City Secure Play-Off Spot with 3-1 Comeback Victory over Club Brugge
Manchester City clinched a place in the UEFA Champions League play-offs after a dramatic second-half comeback saw them beat Club Brugge 3-1 in their final group-stage match at the Etihad Stadium. With the pressure on to secure qualification, Pep Guardiola’s side responded to a first-half deficit to finish 22nd in the standings and advance to the knockout rounds.
The game started with City on the front foot, but they were stunned just before halftime when Raphael Onyedika’s strike gave Brugge the lead. City knew they needed a win to avoid an early exit, and their hopes of progress seemed to be slipping away as they struggled to break down Brugge’s disciplined defense. But after the break, a change in approach sparked a thrilling comeback.
City came out with renewed intensity in the second half, and just eight minutes after the restart, Mateo Kovacic leveled the score with a brilliant solo effort. Kovacic picked up the ball in his own half, drove at the Brugge defense, and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner to make it 1-1.
The equalizer gave City a boost, and they pushed forward relentlessly. The breakthrough came in the 58th minute when Josko Gvardiol’s cross forced Brugge’s Joel Ordonez into an unfortunate own goal. With the game now in City’s favor, they continued to press, and in the 77th minute, Savinho sealed the win with a well-taken strike from a John Stones assist, making it 3-1.
City’s journey to qualification wasn’t smooth, and the first half was a particularly frustrating one. Club Brugge, needing a point themselves to secure qualification, set up a well-organized defense and were dangerous on the counter. Despite City dominating possession, they were unable to find a breakthrough and were caught out just before halftime when Onyedika finished off a counterattack to give Brugge the lead.
Guardiola made a key substitution at the break, bringing on Brazilian winger Savinho for Ilkay Gundogan. The change paid off immediately, with Savinho’s pace and creativity providing the spark City needed. His direct play created gaps in Brugge’s defense, and he played a role in both of the goals that followed Kovacic’s equalizer.
Pep Guardiola admitted that City had a lot to improve on after what he called a “difficult” group stage. “The first half we missed the spark, Savinho helped us find it,” he said after the game. “It’s an incredible lesson for the club, for me, and for the players nothing is for granted.”
Guardiola also acknowledged that City were not yet at the level of the other top teams in the competition. “Right now, no, we are not contenders,” he said when asked about their chances of winning the Champions League this year. “Bayern and Real have more experience than us, but we will prepare well and see what happens.”
Despite the loss, Club Brugge can hold their heads high after a solid performance in the group stage. Coach Nicky Hayen was proud of his team’s efforts, particularly in the first half. “We were really disciplined tonight, kept everything compact, and executed our plan well,” he said. “City are world-class, and they punished us for our mistakes in the second half, but we are happy with how we performed.”
With Brugge also advancing to the play-off round despite the defeat, both teams will now shift their focus to the knockout stages. For Manchester City, however, the relief of securing a place in the next phase is tempered by the realization that tougher challenges lie ahead, with potential opponents like Real Madrid or Bayern Munich on the horizon.
City’s victory secured a top-24 finish in the group, but with only three wins from eight games, their path to the last-16 will be anything but easy. They will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the play-off round, and Guardiola will be hoping his side can build on the momentum from this hard-fought win.