Manchester City survive Brugge scare to progress

Manchester City survived a huge scare as they scraped into the Champions League play-offs with victory over Club Brugge at Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola’s men knew only victory would suffice to avoid the abject embarrassment of slipping out of the top 24 places in the tournament’s new format. They were left facing that grim prospect after Raphael Onyedika gave Club Brugge a shock lead but a second half turnaround was enough to see them progress.

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Guardiola says City need ‘something special’ to survive in Champions League

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has described his side’s Champions League situation as “not a problem” but “an opportunity” but will need something special tomorrow. The 2022-23 champions are 25th in the 36-team league, two points out of the positions that qualify for the knockout phase play-offs. They must beat Belgians Club Brugge at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday to avoid being eliminated at the group stage.

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Belgian footballer Radja Nainggolan arrested in drug trafficking probe

Belgian footballer Radja Nainggolan has been arrested as part of an investigation into cocaine trafficking. The 36-year-old was one of several suspects apprehended by Belgian police on Monday morning, after a series of raids were carried out across the country. Nainggolan played for the Belgian national team as well as Serie A giants AS Roma and Inter Milan.

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Leicester stun Spurs to pile pressure on Postecoglou

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat as Leicester City completed a stunning comeback to climb out of the relegation zone. The Foxes, trailing 1-0 at half-time to a Richarlison goal, scored twice in four minutes after the break through Jamie Vardy and Bilal El Khannouss to end a run of seven consecutive defeats in the Premier League.

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Haaland magic helps Man City recover to down Chelsea

Erling Haaland and Phil Foden spared the blushes of new team-mate Abdukodir Khusanov as Manchester City came from behind to beat Chelsea 3-1. Khusanov, the £33.6million Uzbekistan defender signed from Lens this week, made a nightmare start in the Premier League with an error that led to a Chelsea goal and a booking inside the opening four minutes.

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