A crushing 1-3 defeat away to Bodo/Glimt in the penultimate match saw Man City drop to 11th place. Pep Guardiola's squad had to defeat Galatasaray in their final match and rely on favorable results from other simultaneous games to secure direct qualification for the knockout round.

Erling Haaland celebrating a goal with Omar Marmoush during Man City's 2-0 victory over Galatasaray in their final Champions League group stage match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England on 28/1. Photo: Man City

Man City achieved their objective thanks to a stellar performance from Jeremy Doku. In the 11th minute, the Belgian forward received the ball centrally, then threaded a pass for Erling Haaland, who broke free, surged into the penalty area, and chipped the ball over goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir to open the scoring. This marked the Norwegian striker's first open-play goal since his brace against West Ham on 20/12/2025. Haaland increased his Champions League tally to 56 goals in 56 matches, including 7 goals in 8 appearances this season.

In the 29th minute, Doku again made his mark with a solo run down the left wing before passing into the penalty area for Rayan Cherki. The French attacking midfielder took one touch and then cleanly struck the ball into the near corner, leaving the Galatasaray goalkeeper rooted.

Man City could have secured a larger victory had Phil Foden, Omar Marmoush, or Rayan Ait-Nouri capitalized on their one-on-one chances. However, the 2-0 win was sufficient for the English club to finish eighth with 16 points, thereby avoiding the two additional play-off matches they faced last season, where they lost 3-6 on aggregate to Real Madrid.

Mohamed Salah celebrating a goal during Liverpool's 6-0 victory over Qarabag at Anfield, Liverpool, England on 28/1. Photo: Reuters

At Anfield, Liverpool delivered a more impressive performance, crushing Qarabag 6-0 and reaching several notable milestones. Alexis Mac Allister scored two goals, while Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike, and Federico Chiesa each contributed one.

Notably, Wirtz has scored five goals for Liverpool across all competitions since 27/12/2025, marking the best record among Premier League players during the same period. Dominik Szoboszlai became the second Liverpool player, after Salah, to score or assist in six consecutive Champions League matches. Virgil van Dijk made history as the first center-back to provide three assists in a single Champions League game, while Salah scored in his 80th appearance for Liverpool in the competition.

The 6-0 victory propelled Liverpool to a third-place finish with 18 points, trailing only Bayern Munich (21) and Arsenal (24).

Dominic Solanke (in white) scoring during Tottenham's 2-0 victory over Frankfurt at Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany. Photo: Reuters

Similarly, Tottenham impressed with a 2-0 away victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, thanks to goals from strikers Randal Kolo Muani and Dominic Solanke.

The "Spurs" concluded the group stage in fourth place with 17 points, securing direct qualification for the Champions League round of 16. This performance stands in stark contrast to their Premier League form, where Tottenham has been inconsistent and currently sits 14th, only eight points above the relegation zone.

Hong Duy