Pep Guardiola's team were trailing after the first half, but secured a much-needed victory.
“Manchester City" beat Bruges" in the match of the final round of the main stage of the Champions League season 2024/25. The match at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester ended with a score of 3:1.
The Citizens needed only a win to continue the fight in the tournament. The task became more difficult at the end of the first half, because Rafael Onyedika put the visitors ahead in the 45th minute.
However, Josep Guardiola's team made a comeback in the second half. In the 53rd minute, Mateo Kovacic equalized the score. In the 62nd minute, the defender of the Belgian club Joel Ordonez scored an own goal, and Savinho set the final score in the 77th minute.
Review of the match “Manchester City” – “Brugge”
Manchester City with 11 points took 22nd place in the overall standings of the main round of the Champions League. Brugge with 11 points took 24th place – the last qualifying place in the playoffs. Both clubs will play in the play-offs for a place in the 1/8 finals.
Recall that in the updated Champions League format, 36 clubs played in a single league, where they played against eight different opponents (four matches at home and four away).
The eight best teams from the main stage of the Champions League reached the 1/8 finals. The clubs that took places from 9th to 24th in the overall standings will play paired play-offs for a place in the 1/8 finals. The rest have finished their performance in European competitions.
The draw for the Champions League play-offs will take place on Friday, January 31. The first matches of this stage will be played on February 11/12, and the return matches – on February 18/19.