A manager defined by finishing first may never be so relieved to come 22nd. Pep Guardiola was 45 minutes from abject humiliation. Twenty months after winning the Champions League, Manchester City were on course to be cast out of it. Embarrassment was on the agenda.

It was averted. Unconvincingly, laying bare more of their flaws, City nonetheless salvaged a play-off place. A comeback forged by Croatians, requiring an own goal but sealed by Savinho, meant they will now face one of the superpowers of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

For the second time in five days they came from behind to win at the Etihad Stadium. And yet, even as they ultimately prevailed in their game of brinkmanship, this was a fraught affair. City went in at the interval a goal down to Club Brugge: having kicked off in the unfamiliar territory of 25th place, they had contrived to reverse into 26th. On a night when only victory would suffice, they added Brugge to the minnows of Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague in a select band they have beaten in this group stage. None finished in the top 20, which tells a tale in itself.

They were dragged through in part by managerial intervention, even if Guardiola was only correcting his initial mistake by bringing on Savinho, in part by players who reacted to ponderous mediocrity by taking it upon themselves to drag their side onwards.

A quadruple Champions League winner brought hope. Mateo Kovacic isn’t a byword for dynamism but he powered forward from the half-way line, placing his shot beyond Simon Mignolet, who could have done better. If City’s Champions League exit last season came in part because Kovacic missed his penalty in the shootout against Real Madrid, this time he looked to offer salvation.

Then came his compatriot’s turn. For him, too, there was a hint of redemption. Josko Gvardiol’s surge into the Brugge box produced a low cross that Joel Ordonez turned into his own net. Inadvertently, the Ecuadorian defender may have scored one of City’s more important Champions League goals. But as their predicament owed something to the meltdown against Feyenoord, when Gvardiol was horribly culpable, his felt a cathartic contribution.

Savinho clinched victory. Guardiola had erred by omitting the Brazilian, packing his team with passers but leaving them lacking dribblers and width. Brought on at the break, the summer signing made a difference. He had a shot cleared off the line by Brandon Mechele a few minutes before he struck, taking John Stones’ diagonal ball on his chest, slotting a shot past Mignolet.

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For Guardiola, the anguish ended there. He had cut an angry figure as he punched the air when his side took the lead. This had been a traumatic occasion for him. He showed the urgency his side lacked in the first half, trying to give the ball to Nunes to take a quick throw, but instead propelling into his Brugge counterpart, Nicky Hayen, prompting a swift apology. His dissent had brought a second-half booking. He had looked despondent in his dugout before City levelled.

Their first-half had been utterly ineffectual. It brought no legitimate shots on target and an xG of 0.24. They scarcely had any threat beyond an adept finish by the offside Ilkay Gundogan. But the German was withdrawn at the break, a symbolic moment for the Champions League-winning captain. City began with seven of those who started in Istanbul, but with ample evidence that if the faces are the same, this is a lesser side.

In 15 previous visits to England, Brugge had never won. They nevertheless led. Ferran Jutgla sidestepped his way past Nunes with embarrassing ease and provided a low cross for Raphael Onyedika to sweep in his shot.

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It was a moment that exposed Nunes for the makeshift right-back he is but Brugge had already shown a menace on the break, normally led by the lively Christos Tzolis, seemingly with the sense the Portuguese was being targeted.

Yet Brugge conjured a response to conceding. City’s frailties were apparent as Ederson had to make second-half saves from Hans Vanaken, Tzolis and Chemsdine Talbi. The Greek arrowed a shot just wide. The Belgian champions began in obdurate mood and at least ended with qualification themselves, in the 24th and last spot.

They had only conceded two goals in their previous four Champions League games. They defended superbly in the first half. The first hint that City might break them down came immediately after the restart when Stones wasted a golden chance, heading wide. Then came the fightback, extending City’s unbeaten run at home in Europe to 35 games. And yet that formidable record was compiled in rather more compelling fashion. City escaped an early exit here. They may not be so fortunate in the play-offs.

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