Manchester City have secured qualification for the knockouts of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions following a dramatic comeback victory over Club Brugge at Etihad, MySportDab reports.
It was a night of reckoning for the team’s manager Pep Guardiola, who went into the game, teetering on the brink of what would have been a shock elimination from the league phase of the competition.
They went into the game, occupying the first spot in the drop zone with just 8 points from seven matches.
All they needed was a win against club Brugge to tie the Belgian side on same number of points but with a superior goal difference enough to break into the top 24 for a place in the knockout playoffs.
The game began on a disappointing note. Club Brugge pulled a dramatic late upset in the first half.
Nigerian star Onyedika scored just at the stroke of the end of first half to give the Belgian contingents a shock lead at the break.
However, City would bounce back stronger in the second half, scoring 3 goals to turn around the game and book a slot in the next round of the competition.
Mateo Kovacic opened the scoring for the Premier League champions in the 53rd minute, thanks to John Stones’ assist.
Two minutes after the hour mark, Club Brugge player Ordonez mistakenly got the ball into his own net after being harried by Gvardiol.
The goal saw the Cityzens came from behind to take the lead.
In the 77th minute, Savinho extended the lead for the home side to seal the win and fire the club to the next round while Club Brugge drops to the elimination zone.
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