Manchester City nearly crashed out, but came from behind in the second half, and in the end, all European giants reached the knockout rounds of the Champions League.

The UEFA Champions League's first-ever league phase came to a dramatic close on Wednesday, setting up for an equally entertaining knockout stage that begins in two weeks' time. The introduction of the new format means the Champions League will introduce a new phase of competition in February when 16 teams will take part in the knockout round playoffs.

Pep Guardiola breathed a sigh of relief as Manchester City scraped into the Uefa Champions League play-offs with a 3-1 win over Club Brugge. City trailed their Belgian opponents at half time before Mateo Kovacic and the lively Savinho inspired a second-half comeback with a Joel Ordonez own goal sandwiched in between.