GENEVA — Manchester City narrowly secured its place in the Champions League knockout stage, while Paris Saint-Germain showcased their prowess with a commanding win. Both teams faced the prospect of disappointing exits before their performances on Wednesday ensured their continuation among the 24 teams competing in the next phase. As anticipation builds for the playoffs round draw set for Friday, both clubs will find themselves alongside either defending champions Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, who were positioned mid-table at the conclusion of the 36-team standings.
Manchester City, encountering a near disaster, fought back to defeat Club Brugge 3-1 in a crucial match. After trailing 1-0 at halftime and sitting in 26th place, the reigning champions were energized by substitute Savinho, who helped them to avert elimination. Reflecting on the team’s second-half performance, manager Pep Guardiola expressed his relief, stating, “In the second half we let our souls and hearts free,” after he had endured a tense evening on the sidelines and received a yellow card.
City’s final position of 22nd means they are aware that their next opponent will be either the formidable Madrid or Bayern, who secured the 11th and 12th spots, respectively. In contrast, PSG started in 22nd position but achieved an impressive 4-1 victory against Stuttgart, highlighted by Ousmane Dembélé’s hat trick, thereby eliminating the German team. Following last week’s significant 4-2 comeback win over Manchester City, PSG improved to 15th place. However, this still puts them on a collision course with either Liverpool or Barcelona in the round of 16 in March, should they succeed in an all-French playoff contest against either Monaco or Brest.
Liverpool finished atop the standings despite suffering a close 3-2 defeat against a weakened PSV Eindhoven, while Barcelona ended as runners-up after a tense 2-2 draw with Atalanta. Only the top eight teams automatically advanced to the round of 16, which excluded Real Madrid, who secured a convincing 3-0 victory at Brest, and Bayern Dortmund, who won 3-1 against Slovan Bratislava.
Inter Milan, Arsenal, and Atletico Madrid all confirmed their places among the top eight with expected, yet subdued victories. Inter achieved a 3-0 win over Monaco, Arsenal narrowly defeated Girona 2-1, and Atletico triumphed 4-1 against Salzburg, who faced significant challenges throughout the campaign. Bayer Leverkusen, Lille — who overwhelmed Feyenoord 6-1 — and Aston Villa rounded out the elite eight.
Stuttgart fell to 26th place and was eliminated, alongside Dinamo Zagreb, despite their 2-1 win over AC Milan, where U.S. playmaker Christian Pulisic managed to equalize for Milan. Milan may face a clash against Juventus in the playoffs round. Brugge claimed the 24th qualification spot on the basis of a better goal difference than Dinamo.
This unprecedented Champions League night featured 18 matches played concurrently, concluding the new 144-game opening phase format without any shock exits, although the final standings were certainly surprising. Three English teams finished within the top eight, but Manchester City was notably absent. Meanwhile, two Spanish teams also reached the top eight without Real Madrid, and the lone German representative was not Bayern, while the only French team in the top eight was not PSG.
These renowned powerhouses of European soccer found the new eight-game format to be more challenging than anticipated, now facing the obligation of two additional matches on consecutive midweeks in February to qualify for the round of 16— a task that used to be routine in the previous group-stage format. Villa joined Liverpool and Arsenal in the top eight with a 4-2 victory over Celtic, amassing 16 points and thus avoiding playoff contention.
UEFA’s initial projection of eight points required for advancement to the knockout phase has proven inaccurate. Dinamo, with 11 points, was nonetheless eliminated, assuring that no teams from Eastern Europe will participate in the knockout stage. The lowest-ranked club in the upcoming playoffs round draw will be Scotland’s champion Celtic, who concluded their campaign in 21st place, just one position and one point above Manchester City.
