Manchester City vs Club Brugge Report
Scorers: Kovacic 53’, Ordonez (OG) 62’, Savinho 77’; Onyedika 45’\
Manchester City secured their place in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) knockout stage, overcoming a first-half scare to defeat Club Brugge 3-1 on the final day of the league phase.
Goals from Mateo Kovačić, an own goal by Joel Ordóñez, and a late clincher from Savinho ensured City’s progression, while Brugge also scraped through in 24th place.
First Half: City Left Stunned at the Break
With City needing a win to advance, the pressure was on from the first whistle. However, nervous moments at the back nearly resulted in disaster.
A defensive mix-up gifted Christos Tzolis a golden opportunity, but the Brugge forward failed to capitalize, allowing City to breathe a sigh of relief. City thought they had the breakthrough when İlkay Gündoğan slotted home, but the offside flag quickly ended the celebrations. On the stroke of halftime, Raphael Onyedika capitalized on poor marking at the back post, slamming home a well-worked Brugge move to leave the Etihad stunned.
Second Half: City’s Comeback Sparks Relief
Facing a humiliating early UCL exit, City needed inspiration—and Mateo Kovačić delivered in style.The Croatian picked up the ball deep in his own half, drove forward unchallenged, and curled a stunning strike into the bottom corner, breathing new life into City’s campaign.
City completed the turnaround just after the hour mark, when Joško Gvardiol’s whipped cross deflected off Joel Ordóñez and into his own net.
City should have put the game to bed, but Erling Haaland was denied one-on-one by Simon Mignolet, before Savinho’s follow-up was heroically cleared off the line by Brandon Mechele. Savinho finally got his reward, latching onto a perfect John Stones pass before smashing home at the near post, sealing City’s progression.
What’s Next for City?
Manchester City are through to the UCL knockouts! They now shift focus back to the Premier League with an upcoming high-stakes clash against Arsenal.
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