Pep Guardiola unleashed a kick that  knocked over a drinks cooler in a moment of unbridled relief as Manchester City avoided an early exit from the Champions League on Wednesday. The City manager could not contain his emotions on a night of high drama at the Etihad Stadium as his team came back from the brink of elimination when 1-0 down to Club Brugge at half-time. A 3-1 win secured the lifeline of a playoff against either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

“I told them it was over, that we are out,” Guardiola admitted afterward when revealing his half-time team talk. But he also came up with the words to inspire a fightback. “In the second half, we lift our soul and our hearts were free. Today we are in the next round, that’s good,” he added. In a must-win game for the 2023 champions, City fell behind just before half-time, but victory meant they finished 22nd in the 36-team standings to secure a two-legged playoff to advance to the Round of 16.