Man City 3 Club Brugge 1: Hosts scrape through in Champions League but set up horror clash against giants
Man City 3 Club Brugge 1: Hosts scrape through in Champions League but set up horror clash against giants
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THEY were putting out fires inside and outside the Etihad last night. First, a merchandise stall on the stadium’s perimeter burst into flames. Then, Pep Guardiola’s men appeared to be torching their European hopes before they rescued themselves from the humiliation of a group-stage Champions League.
![[Manchester City players celebrating a goal.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-savinho-manchester-city-celebrates-967658470.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Guardiola had been fretting manically on the touchline as City trailed to a first-half strike from Raphael Onyedika. The City boss was scratching his head, kicking drinks boxes, slipping in his technical area and being booked for yelling at the ref. Yet he got his half-time substitution bang on. Savinho arrived in place of Ilkay Gundogan and the Brazilian scored the killer third after helping to set up the second.
![[Match stats graphic showing Manchester City vs Club Brugge: City 3-1. Includes shots on target, shots, blocked shots, possession, passes, completed passes, tackles, fouls conceded, and corners.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/the-sun-22-23-match-stats-44d62668-419a-41a6-91e3-485d8ef06d7b.png?strip=all&w=960)
Heaven knows how City ended up in this situation - needing to defeat Bruges in order to finish in the top 24 and scrape into the play-off round. The new Champions League format makes it nigh-on impossible for Europe’s grandest clubs to fall at the first hurdle.
![[Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson diving to try and save a goal.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/manchester-city-goalkeeper-ederson-looks-967640840.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
But the 2023 champions flirted with the unthinkable after a run of just one point from their previous four matches in the competition. Now they face a two-legged play-off next month against either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich - to be decided on Friday - for a place in the last 16.
![[Raphael Onyedika of Club Brugge celebrates scoring a goal.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/brugges-raphael-onyedika-celebrates-scoring-967641932.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS. While City’s domestic form had turned a corner, their extraordinary capitulation at Paris St Germain a fortnight ago meant they had taken just one point from their previous four Champions League - leaving them in this tight corner.
![[Mateo Kovacic of Manchester City scoring a goal.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/editorial-use-no-use-unauthorised-967647661.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
