Champions League Man City avert debacle ++ Sommer and Xhaka in the last 16 ++ PSG with gala win

Linus Hämmerli

29.1.2025

Manchester City turn the game around against Brugge and win 3:1 to avoid an early exit from the Champions League.

It was a shock towards the end of the first half. City, who controlled the game but created few chances, suddenly found themselves 1-0 down. Raphael Onyedika, who was courted by many teams, put the visitors from Belgium ahead and put the 2023 Champions League winners on the brink of a major embarrassment.

The home side were more determined after the break and turned things around within nine minutes. First Mateo Kovacic scored with a low shot, then Brugge defender Joel Ordonez deflected a cross into his own goal. After that, City, with Manuel Akanji in central defense, were no longer shaken and extended their lead. At the other end, however, Akanji's national team colleague Ardon Jashari could also live with the result, as his team is also in the play-offs.

In these, City will face a duel with a top team. The English side will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

Stuttgart eliminated

Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain did not show any weakness. The French side, who would also have had to worry about progressing if they had lost, made things clear early on in Stuttgart. Thanks to goals from Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé (2), the visitors led 3:0 by the 35th minute, but the Parisians eventually ran out 4:1 winners.

The bitter home defeat meant the end of the European season for Stuttgart. The Germans, for whom Swiss internationals Fabian Rieder and Leonidas Stergiou were substituted, lost their place in the top 24.

At the top of the table, Italian teams AC Milan and Atalanta Bergamo dropped out of the top 8, while Lille, who celebrated a 6:1 victory over Feyenoord Rotterdam in the final round, and Aston Villa are somewhat surprisingly through to the round of 16.

Draw on Friday

The draw for the play-offs continues on Friday at 12.00 noon in Nyon. The teams that finish the league phase in places 9 to 16 are seeded and will face the teams in places 17 to 24. "Pairs" are also formed. For example, the teams in places 9 and 10 play against the teams in places 23 or 24, the teams in places 11 and 12 are drawn against the teams in places 21 or 22, and so on. Clubs from the same country can also meet.

The first knockout round will take place on February 11/12 and 18/19. The eight best teams in the group stage have these match days off and will not return to action until the round of 16 in March.

Today's matches at a glance

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    Packets my ass... PSG win in Stuttgart

    If Stuttgart and PSG had shared the points, they would both have progressed. But the Parisians have no desire for a draw. In the end, PSG win 4:1.

  • END

    Manchester City are in the play-offs

    Man City turn things around in the 2nd half and avoid elimination. Bruges also make the playoffs despite the defeat.

  • 77th minute

    Manchester City - Bruges 3:1

  • 69th minute

    YB - Red Star Belgrade 0:1

    YB are threatened with their 8th defeat in their 8th game - click here for the live ticker of the YB game.

  • 62.

    Manchester City - Bruges 2:1

  • 54. minute

    Stuttgart - PSG 0:4

  • 53rd minute

    Manchester City - Bruges 1:1

    Hope is back. Kovacic equalizes for Man City. But another goal is needed to avert the end.

  • Dortmund - Donetsk 2:1

  • 47th minute

    Manchester City - Bruges 0:1

    John Stones misses a great chance shortly after the break.

  • HALF TIME

    All 36 teams are in the dressing room. As things stand, Manchester City would be eliminated. The star ensemble urgently needs two goals against Bruges to avert the debacle.

    As things stand, Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter, Altético, Leverkusen, Lille and Atalantawould go through to the round of 16.

    The following teams are in the play-off places: Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Aston Villa, PSV Eindhoven, Bruges, PSG, Benfica Lisbon, Feyenoord, Monaco, Celtic, Stade Brest, Juventus Turin, Dinamo Zagreb and Sporting Lisbon.

  • 45th minute

    Manchester City - Bruges 0:1

    Onyedika shocks ManCity shortly before the break. Now Akanji and Co. need two goals to have a chance of progressing.

  • 35th minute

    Stuttgart - PSG 0:3

  • 17.

    Stuttgart - PSG 0:2

    Very bitter for Stuttgart: Dembélé makes it 2:0 in the 17th minute. As things stand, Stuttgart would still qualify for the play-offs, but that could change quickly.

  • 6th minute

    Stuttgart - PSG 0:1

    A draw would be enough for Stuttgart and PSG to progress, but a defeat would see them both eliminated. The Parisians obviously don't want to let anything burn and take an early lead.

  • Murat Yakin exclusively on blue Sport

  • Fire outside the Ethiad Stadium

    It was clear that things could get heated in Manchester. But now there is already a fire before the game. A merchandise stand in front of the west stand of the Ethiad Stadium was suddenly engulfed in flames. The area around the stand was evacuated immediately. English media reported that the fire was quickly brought under control. ManCity have now also confirmed that the fire has been extinguished. The home team's team bus had to take a different route to the stadium due to the fire-fighting work.

    However, the match is expected to kick off on time.

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  • Jashari's steep rise in Bruges

  • Zubi is looking forward to the spectacle and is keeping his fingers crossed for YB

    "This has never happened before in my entire life," says blue Sport expert Pascal Zuberbühler, who is really looking forward to the 18 simultaneous matches in the top flight. "This is top class and I can hardly wait."

    Zubi is particularly excited about the performances of Manchester City and PSG. "City have a lot of pressure. Bruges have nothing to lose. I'm excited to see how Pep Guardiola has set up his Cityzens - especially the defense," says the 54-year-old.

    However, Zubi is keeping his fingers crossed for Young Boys in particular after seven defeats in seven games. "I hope that they don't end the campaign with zero points. I hope YB pick up at least one point. And if you can finish with a win, you can then concentrate fully on the championship."

  • Will Jashari be a Man City scare?

    Ardon Jashari is voted Male Youngster 2024 at the Swiss Football Awards in mid-January. The 22-year-old also thanks his former coach Mario Frick afterwards. This touched the Lucerne coach, who still raves about Jashari, who has since extended his contract with Bruges. Today he could plunge Manchester City into misery.

  • Police arrest numerous PSG supporters

    "Police prevent serious rioting ahead of the Champions League match", Stuttgart police wrote in a press release on Wednesday morning. Officers arrested 59 French hooligans in the run-up to the match between Stuttgart and PSG.

    According to the press release, "serious confrontations" had become apparent on Tuesday evening. PSG supporters had traveled to Stuttgart without tickets. "High-risk fans from VfB Stuttgart and high-risk fans from Saint-Étienne tried to spy on the whereabouts of French hooligans throughout the day."

    In order to prevent a clash between the "violence-seeking fans", the police carried out "low-threshold targeted checks on numerous French hooligans". The Stuttgart police worked closely with the Paris police. Among other things, masking material was discovered.

    After consultation with a judge, the PSG hooligans will remain in custody until Thursday morning. "Anyone who travels to Stuttgart to commit violent crimes off the pitch will be taken out of the game," said police vice-president Carsten Höfler.

    Meanwhile, 47 high-risk VfB Stuttgart fans were banned from the city center and the area around the stadium. This concerns people who had tried to spy on French hooligans and "sometimes carried passive weapons".

  • Kallen draws a positive conclusion and hopes that Stuttgart and PSG do not cause a scandal

  • Manchester City need one thing today: goals from Erling Haaland

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  • Will YB fill the points account and the purse?

    While clubs like Manchester City and PSG are fighting for survival in the Champions League, tonight is YB's last night in the top flight. After seven games, the Bernese have zero points, but this should change tonight.

    As well as points of honor, there is also a lot of money at stake. Around two million francs in prize money is up for grabs for the winner of the game.

  • All 18 matches simultaneously on blue Sport

    All 36 teams are in action at the same time and will play out who goes straight through to the round of 16, who makes it to the playoffs and who is eliminated.

    A look at the table promises high tension. Liverpool and Barcelona are the only two teams with a direct ticket to the round of 16. European heavyweights such as Manchester City, PSG and Bayern, on the other hand, are under pressure. blue Sport explains the starting position:

  • 18 games to a "Chlapf"

  • Who is already through or out?

    Liverpool FC (who have won all seven games) and FC Barcelona can safely plan for the round of 16.

    Nine teams have already been eliminated: FC Bologna, Sparta Prague, RB Leipzig, FC Girona, Roter Stern Belgrad, Sturm Graz, Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys.

  • What you need to know about the Champions League showdown

  • Hello ...

    ... and a warm greetings to the Champions League daily ticker. Wednesday evening will be a real party on the last day of the league phase. 18 games are on the program, some of which have a lot at stake. You can find out everything about the games here.