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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Russell disqualified from Belgian GP as Hamilton is promoted to winner

Lewis Hamilton inherited victory in the Belgian Grand Prix after Mercedes team-mate George Russell was disqualified two and a half hours after taking an unlikely win on the track. Russell pulled off an unusual one-stop strategy and held off Hamilton’s attack in the closing laps. But after the race his car was found to be 1.5kg underweight, with his team admitting to “a genuine error”.

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Russell holds off Hamilton for Mercedes 1-2 in Belgium

George Russell narrowly beat team-mate Lewis Hamilton to a remarkable win on an unlikely one-stop strategy in the Belgian Grand Prix as Mercedes finished first and second to continue their impressive Formula 1 resurgence. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took the final podium place in third just 1.1s behind Russell as the top three finished almost nose-to-nail across the line while championship leader Max Verstappen rose from P11 to finish P5 ahead of rival Lando Norris.

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