GENEVA (AP) After coming dangerously close to losing the Champions League, Manchester City came back to defeat Club Brugge 3-1 in a crucial match on Wednesday and move on to the knockout stage.

The 2023 champion was spurred to avoid elimination by substitute Savinho after Man City was behind 1-0 at halftime and ranked 26th out of 36 teams. City came in 22nd.

By defeating Stuttgart 4-1, Paris Saint-Germain also guaranteed its spot in the top 24 and advanced to the knockout playoff round.

Following a pivotal 4-2 comeback victory over Man City one week ago, PSG once again made an impression and moved up to 15th place. If PSG defeats Monaco or Brest in an all-French playoff, it will go to the round of 16 in March, where it will face either Liverpool or Barcelona.

Despite winning their most recent games, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich ended outside the top eight and will both have to go to a two-leg knockout playoff round in February. Bayern defeated Slovan Bratislava 3-1, while Madrid defeated Brest 3-0.

Bayern finished 10th, while defending champion Madrid came in 11th. Only the top eight clubs advance straight to the round of 16.

On January 29, 2025, in Stuttgart, Germany, Bradley Barcola, center right for PSG, celebrates with Desire Doue after scoring the first goal in the Champions League opening phase soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Paris Saint-Germain. (DPA via AP/Marijan Murat)AP

As anticipated, Inter Milan, Arsenal, and Atletico Madrid all finished in the top eight, following Liverpool and Barcelona in making it straight to the round of 16 with quiet victories. Despite having a terrible season, Inter defeated Monaco 3-0, Arsenal defeated Girona 2-1, and Atletico defeated Salzburg 4-1.

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Aston Villa, Lille, who crushed Feyenoord 6-1, and Bayer Leverkusen rounded out the top eight.

Despite defeating AC Milan 2-1, Stuttgart fell to 26th place and was eliminated along with Dinamo Zagreb. Brugge defeated Dinamo in the goal-difference tiebreaker to secure the 24th qualifying spot.

https://apnews.com/hub/soccer AP soccer

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