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City Avoids the Nightmare and Might Face Bayern or Real Madrid

Manchester City narrowly escaped an early exit from the UEFA Champions League, securing a place in the playoff round for the Round of 16. Meanwhile, Arsenal, Inter Milan, and Atlético Madrid all advanced directly to the knockout stages.

On the eighth and final matchday of the unified group stage, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, and Aston Villa secured the last three direct qualification spots, joining Liverpool and Barcelona, who had sealed their progression in the penultimate round.

On the other hand, European powerhouses Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Atalanta failed to clinch direct qualification and will now have to navigate the playoffs, alongside Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and AC Milan.

City Overcomes Club Brugge Scare

Manchester City came from behind to secure a crucial 3-1 victory over Belgian side Club Brugge at the Etihad Stadium, setting up a potential high-stakes showdown with either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the playoffs.

Nigerian midfielder Raphael Onyedika stunned the home crowd with a goal just before halftime (45’), but Croatian playmaker Mateo Kovačić scored early in the second half (53’). A defensive mishap saw Ecuadorian defender Joel Ordóñez inadvertently steer the ball into his own net (62’), before Brazilian substitute Savinho put the result beyond doubt (77’).

Arsenal earned a hard-fought 2-1 away victory against Girona. Dutch forward Arnaut Danjuma gave the Spanish side an early lead with a stunning long-range effort following a costly error from Brazilian goalkeeper Neto (28’). However, Italian midfielder Jorginho equalized from the penalty spot (38’) before young English talent Ethan Nwaneri secured all three points for the North London side.

Inter Milan claimed fourth place in the standings with a dominant 3-0 victory over a 10-man AS Monaco. Argentine captain Lautaro Martínez stole the show with a hat-trick (4’ from a penalty, 16’, and 67’), while Monaco’s Christian Ilie received a straight red card in the 12th minute, leaving his team in disarray.

Atlético Madrid sealed fifth place with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Austrian side Salzburg. Goals from Argentine forward Giovanni Simeone (5’), French playmaker Antoine Griezmann (13’, 45+1’), and Spanish midfielder Marcos Llorente (63’) propelled Atlético to a convincing win. Danish midfielder Adam Daghim netted a late consolation goal for Salzburg (90+1’).

Bayer Leverkusen climbed to sixth place after a solid 2-0 triumph over Sparta Prague, courtesy of goals from German sensation Florian Wirtz (32’) and English winger Nathan Tella (64’), extending their perfect home record with four consecutive wins.

Lille, the tournament’s biggest surprise package, finished seventh after thrashing Feyenoord 6-1, while Aston Villa clinched eighth place with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Celtic.

Late Wins for the Giants

Brazilian forward Rodrygo spearheaded Real Madrid’s commanding 3-0 victory over Brest with a well-taken brace (27’, 78’), while English star Jude Bellingham also got on the scoresheet (56’).

Six-time champions Bayern Munich and last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund both failed to secure direct qualification. Bayern secured a 3-1 win over Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava, with veteran Thomas Müller (7’), prolific English striker Harry Kane (63’), and French winger Kingsley Coman (84’) all finding the net. Croatian midfielder Marko Tolić grabbed a late consolation goal for Slovan (90’).

Dortmund eased past Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk with a 3-1 victory, as Guinean forward Serhou Guirassy struck twice (17’, 44’) and Algerian defender Ramy Bensebaini added a third (79’). Brazilian midfielder Marlon Gomes briefly gave Shakhtar hope (50’), but the German side proved too strong.

Paris Saint-Germain crushed Stuttgart’s qualification hopes with a resounding 4-1 victory, led by French winger Ousmane Dembélé, who netted a hat-trick (17’, 35’, 54’). Bradley Barcola had opened the scoring with a well-placed header following a brilliant backheel assist from Désiré Doué (6’). Stuttgart’s only goal came from an own goal by Ecuadorian defender William Pacho (77’).

AC Milan, reduced to 10 men, saw their chances of direct qualification vanish after suffering a 2-1 away defeat to Dinamo Zagreb. Fellow Italian side Atalanta played out a thrilling 2-2 draw with Barcelona, while Juventus endured a disappointing 2-0 loss against Benfica. Meanwhile, Liverpool suffered a shock 3-2 defeat against PSV Eindhoven—their first-ever loss to the Dutch side.

The high-stakes playoff clashes are set to take place on February 11-12 and 18-19, followed by the Round of 16 on March 4-5 and 11-12. The quarterfinals are scheduled for April 8-9 and 15-16, with the semifinals slated for April 29-30 and May 6-7. The grand finale will be held on May 31.

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