Manchester City snuck through to the play-off phase of the Champions League after coming from behind to beat Club Brugge 3-1 and finish 22nd of the 24 qualified teams to secure progress.
With only 3 8 games victories, they will face Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the February qualifiers, the value of paying such a campaign.
The city’s night had begun to worry when a product kiosk outside the doors of the stadium fireplace and an emotional rebirth was needed during the time to ensure that their European hopes were not so on fire.
Pep Guardiola asked “anything special” before the game and what he received, at least in the first part, was somewhat surprising because City could not gather a trip, an intensity or shots in the target before being bitten at Raphael’s break Onyediedika.
City knew in advance, after returning a 2-0 advance to the PSG to lose 4-2 last week, that anything else that a victory would record them in an early departure from the festival they won. 18 months ago, however, it could not even call the urgency to hurt Brugge.
Fortunately for Guardiola, everything was replaced at half-time when Savinho arrived here for Llkay Gundogan, offering more direct risk and creating gaps, allowing Mateo Kovacic to break through the midfield and sweep the leveller.
Everything a little easier later, while Josko Gvardiol forced the young defender Joel order to turn his own network before Savinho marks a third well worked, clinging to a brilliant neck by John Stones, to relieve all persistent doubt with thirteen minutes with thirteen minutes to do.
Laura Hunter of Sky Sports:
Manchester City were staring down the barrel until Savinho’s half-time introduction. It made you wonder what he was doing sat on the bench in the first place, brought on to replace a laboured Gundogan. Savinho has now been directly involved in five goals in his last six appearances in all competitions.
Often, we let managers have made substitutions that have a revolutionary impact, but this time, it is improper. Pep Guardiola’s exit variety simply did not work. Experienced dynamism. “The first half, we lost the spark, Savinho helped us locate it,” Guardiola said.
Stumbling over the finish line probably isn’t the best way to strike fear into upcoming play-off opponents – Real or Bayern – but important City are there nonetheless. Relief will surely be replaced by dread as that February date nears.
Pep Guardiola of the city man:
“When I saw the fire before the game I thought the journalists have their headlines already, that’s for sure. We were out but now we go forward.
“Brugge defends himself so strong that they go to Guy to Guy, we want quality and spark .
“In the future important teams might live what we have this season. It’s an incredible lesson for the club, for me firstly, and for the players – nothing is for granted.”
Asked if Man City can still be considered contenders to win this year’s Champions League: “Right now, no. I’m so pragmatic, the reality is the reality.
“These groups [Bayern and Real] have more they delight than we, if we play, it would be difficult, but in two weeks I do not know how we will be. We will prepare well and see, see it, let’s see what happens. “
The main coach of the Brugge Nicky Hayen club:
“Really proud of the way we played the group’s phase. The first half, we were actually disciplined tonight, we kept any compact. We knew that there were probabilities in the back of its defenders and we have executed ourselves very well.
“The moment halfway, we start making small mistakes and the city is a global class, you get punished right away. We check to push each day, we check to have a plan and they have been executed in the maximum perfect way.
“We are very happy, we are ambitious and now we can move on to the next one in an open way. “
Who in the direct extraction towers, there will be two draws after the phase of the league.
The first raffle on Friday, January 31 at 11 a. m. , the two features that each team will download in the direct elimination qualifiers. For example, an end of the year 13 will notice if they play opposite to the team that ends on 19 or 20.
Seeded teams (9th-16th) will have the second leg at home and those play-off round matches take place on February 11/12 and February 18/19.
Teams seeded from first to eighth will have to wait until Friday February 21 to find out their opponents.
This tie will then be to those who face the qualifying stages and, ultimately, will assign their trail to the final.