Manchester City survived a scare to advance to the Champions League knockout stage, while Paris Saint-Germain showcased their dominance with a convincing victory. Both teams faced potential elimination but ultimately secured their spots among the elite 24 teams.
Manchester City narrowly escaped elimination from the Champions League, while Paris Saint-Germain secured its place in the knockout stage with a stylish victory. Both teams faced the risk of embarrassing exits before winning on Wednesday, expressing relief at being among the 24 teams advancing to the next round.
In the new playoff-round draw on Friday, they will discover their opponents, which could include defending champions Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, who finished mid-table after the 36-team standings were finalized. City teetered on the brink of disaster before rallying to defeat Club Brugge 3-1 in a crucial match. Trailing 1-0 at halftime and occupying 26th place in the live standings, the 2023 titleholder was ignited by substitute Savinho to avert elimination. 'In the second half, we let our souls and hearts free,' said City manager Pep Guardiola, who endured an agonizing evening on the sidelines and received a yellow card. City finished 22nd, but the relief was tempered by the realization that their playoff-round opponent would be either Madrid or Bayern, who secured 11th and 12th place respectively. PSG commenced the day in 22nd place before cruising to a 4-1 victory at Stuttgart, fueled by Ousmane Dembélé's hat-trick, eliminating the German club. The French champions continued their impressive form following a crucial 4-2 comeback win over Manchester City a week ago, climbing to 15th place. However, this positioning sets PSG on a path to face either Liverpool or Barcelona in the round of 16 in March if they overcome an all-French playoff against either Monaco or Brest. Liverpool topped the standings despite a 3-2 loss with a weakened team at PSV Eindhoven, while Barcelona finished as runners-up after a 2-2 draw with Atalanta. Only the top eight teams advance directly to the round of 16, excluding Madrid, who secured a 3-0 victory at Brest, and Bayern, a 3-1 winner against Slovan Bratislava. Inter Milan, Arsenal, and Atletico Madrid achieved their expected top-eight finishes with relatively straightforward victories. Inter defeated Monaco 3-0, Arsenal won 2-1 at Girona, and Atletico triumphed 4-1 at Salzburg, who endured a dismal campaign. Stuttgart dropped to 26th place and was eliminated alongside Dinamo Zagreb, despite their 2-1 victory over AC Milan, whose United States playmaker Christian Pulisic equalized the game. Milan could face Juventus in the playoff round. An unprecedented Champions League night of 18 simultaneous games, concluding the new 144-game opening phase format, concluded without any major upsets, although the final standings defied expectations. Two Spanish teams secured a place in the top eight, but it wasn't Real Madrid. Those four wealthy powers of European soccer found the new eight-game format more challenging than anticipated. They now face the added pressure of two extra games on consecutive midweeks in February to secure their round of 16 berths, which were routine in the previous group stage format. Villa joined Liverpool and Arsenal in the top eight by defeating Celtic 4-2, climbing to 16 points – the threshold that avoided the playoffs. Dinamo secured 11 points but still faced elimination, confirming that no team from eastern Europe would progress to the knockout stage. The lowest-ranked country in Friday's playoff round draw is Scotland, whose champion Celtic finished 21st, one place and one point above Manchester City
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MANCHESTER CITY PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN Knockout Stage Playoffs
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