Manchester City are on the brink of a humiliating UEFA Champions League exit after a stunning loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, while Real Madrid is no longer at risk after routing Salzburg.
Man City blew a two-goal lead in a high-stakes clash of super-wealthy underachievers that PSG won 4-2 in Paris, who could still be eliminated alongside the English champions after the final round of games next week.
Only the top 24 in the 36-team standings are to advance. Man City, the 2023 champions, are in 25th place, but could squeeze into the knockout playoffs round by beating Club Brugge.
Photo: Reuters
“We will do everything there and if we don’t do it we don’t deserve it,” manager Pep Guardiola said of the game in Manchester in one week’s time.
Brugge need at least a draw to advance.
PSG rose to 22nd place to set up another tense challenge against 24th-placed VfB Stuttgart, who likely need to win.
Photo: AFP
Early in the second half in Paris, it was Man City looking set to send PSG close to elimination by taking a two-goal lead. Jack Grealish, a halftime substitute, scored in the 50th minute, then his pass across the goalmouth was deflected toward Erling Haaland for a second four minutes later.
Within six remarkable minutes PSG was level, from goals by Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola, and a stunning turnaround was completed in the 78th minute when Joao Neves headed the decisive goal. Goncalo Ramos added a fourth in stoppage-time.
After winning a record 15th European title last season, then signing France star Kylian Mbappe in the off-season, it probably should not have been such a drama for Real Madrid to reach the knockout stages in the new Champions League format.
Photo: AP
However, three losses in six games — to OSC Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool — left Madrid in 22nd place at kick-off on Wednesday, before swatting aside Salzburg 5-1 to rise to 16th.
Brazil stars Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior each scored twice, either side of a goal for Kylian Mbappe, in a mismatch ahead of the teams meeting again in the FIFA Club World Cup in Philadelphia on June 26.
Arsenal and Inter got expected wins to rise to third and fourth respectively, although not sure yet to join Liverpool and Barcelona among the top-eight teams advancing directly to the round-of-16.
Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 and Inter won 1-0 against Sparta Prague that lifted both to 16 points, three clear of Aston Villa in ninth.
AC Milan quietly went about their business rising to sixth place with a 1-0 win against Girona at the San Siro on a powerful strike in the first half by Rafael Leao.
Bayern Munich fell to a 3-0 defeat at Feyenoord and dropped to 15th in the mid-table morass of storied clubs — including Madrid and Juventus — who risk facing each other in the knockout playoff rounds next month.
The teams that finish Nos. 15-18 in the standings next week are to be drawn against each other in the playoffs — for the right to face Liverpool and, likely, Barcelona in the round-of-16.
Bayern are fortunate to have one of the easier-seeming final games, at home to Slovan Bratislava, who have lost seven straight.
Celtic secured their place in the knockout rounds by winning 1-0 against last-placed Young Boys, the other team to lose seven times.
Leipzig ended their six-game losing run with a 2-1 win over Sporting, although the Portugal champions are still favored to advance. Shakhtar Donetsk stayed in contention — just — with a 2-0 win against Brest, who have booked a place in the knockout phase.
All 36 teams are to play on Wednesday next week.
The top eight in the final standings get a break until March, waiting for the round-of-16. Teams who finish from ninth to 24th enter the knockout playoffs. Those two-leg pairings are to be drawn on Friday next week at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
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