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Aston Villa advanced to the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday with a dramatic 4-2 victory over Celtic thanks to Morgan Rogers’ hat-trick.

Unai Emery’s side needed to win the “Battle of Britain” at Villa Park to secure automatic qualification on the evening of the league phase’s final night.

After Rogers became the first player to score twice in a Champions League game’s opening five minutes, they were on course.

Adam Idah, a Celtic striker, scored twice in a row just before half-time to end a 14-game goal drought that started in November.

But, just hours after Arsenal reportedly made a £60 million ($74 million) bid for Ollie Watkins, the 29-year-old restored Villa’s advantage after the interval.

Watkins also missed a penalty, but Rogers scored the final two goals for the 1982 European Cup winners, finishing eighth overall.

Before the final whistle, Villa’s players assembled on the field to review the outcomes of the other matches that had an impact on their fate.

The eight two-legged knockout play-off matches between the league’s top clubs, which are ranked from ninth to twenty-four, will be played at Villa.

This was another historic moment for Villa, who memorably defeated Bayern Munich earlier this year. Villa is now back in the Champions League for the first time since 1982-83.

After winning last week’s game against Young Boys, Scottish champions Celtic had already been guaranteed a spot in the play-off round.

Brendan Rodgers ‘ team, in the knockout stages for the first time in 12 years, finished 21st place and will face holders Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the play-offs, with the opponents to be decided in Friday’s draw.

Before kick-off, supporters on the Holte End unveiled a Tifo banner featuring snarling Black Sabbath singer and renowned Villa fan Ozzy Osbourne, setting the tone for a memorable night.

– Villa revival –

With a blistering start to the first competitive game between the clubs, Rogers made sure Villa fans wouldn’t become alarmed by their team’s top-eight hopes.

In the third minute, Jacob Ramsey stepped up to Rogers and guided a skillful finish past Kasper Schmeichel from 12 yards.

When Watkins picked out Rogers, who fired a superb strike that arrowed slightly deflections into the top corner, Villa doubled their lead.

In the 36th minute, Villa midfielder John McGinn, a boyhood Celtic fan, unintentionally gave the ball to Idah who twisted to hit the ball from close range.

Just 145 seconds later, Celtic were level with a superbly crafted goal.

Reo Hatate’s pass teed up Idah and fired into the roof of the net as a result of a flowing move to open the Villa defense.

Since 1984’s Ronnie Whelan, Idah became the first Republic of Ireland player to score twice in a Champions League game.

At half-time, Shell-shocked Villa needed to regroup, and their renewed pressure paid off.

A squared pass from Ramsey gave Watkins the opportunity to lash home from 12 yards after his burst on McGinn’s ball extended his reach beyond the Celtics’ defense.

After Auston Trusty’s foul on the striker conceded a penalty, Watkins wasted a rare chance to save Villa.

The latter received the nod after McGinn and Watkins debated whether to punish McGinn for his run-up and embarrassingly scuff his shot wide.

Real Madrid, the champions of the competition, defeated Brest 3-0 on Wednesday to move up to the last 16, but Ronaldogo scored twice and Jude Bellingham once.

Bellingham doubled their lead early in the second half after a brave Brest side was denied an equalizer by a tight offside call. In the first half, Rodrygo opened the scoring for a Real side that was missing the suspended Vinicius Junior.

After Kylian Mbappe’s effort was saved, Rodrygo then sealed the victory late in the match.

In this new, expanded Champions League, Carlo Ancelotti’s side lost three of their first five games, which raises the possibility of being eliminated before the knockout phase.

However, they won three straight games and have now won five straight overall since beating Barcelona 5-2 in the Saudi Arabian Super Cup final on January 12.

Madrid had already secured a spot in the knockout phase and were a point better off than their opponents, but they were only 16th place overall.

Real and Brest will now have to come out of a two-legged play-off tie in February, with the draw taking place on Friday, because not enough other results did Real’s way to get them into the spots that offer a direct path into the last 16.

Much of the attention in Guingamp, Brest’s base for Champions League home games this season, was on Mbappe, with the France captain back in his home country.

Mbappe was yelled out loud both before and after the kick-off and throughout the entire game.

Despite being in excellent form and scoring eight goals in his last five matches across all competitions, he was unable to cap the scoring with a goal.

When Rodrygo cut into the box from the left and finished low over the goalkeeper and in off the far post to make Brest’s lead 1-0 just before the half-hour mark, the fans were silenced.

Six minutes later, when Ludovic Ajorque poked the ball home through a deflection, the French team believed they had equalized, but the celebrations were halted by a tight offside.

Real went on to win 2-0 after 56 minutes, with Bellingham breaking away before coming in the box to finish Lucas Vazquez’s low center.

After being held to a 2-2 draw by ruthless Atalanta, who had failed to qualify directly for the last 16, Barcelona secured second place in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo’s goals put Hansi Flick’s team in the lead with 19 points, ahead of Arsenal and Inter Milan in goal difference.

After Liverpool lost to PSV Eindhoven, Barca had a chance to take the top spot, but Ederson and Mario Pasalic were able to hold on for the lead in the 67th and 79th minutes.

When Pasalic slotted Marten de Roon’s pass home, the Italians’ hopes of a historic victory at the Montjuic Olympic stadium were thwarted when Giorgio Scalvini was stretchered off with three minutes left.

Defender Scalvini, who has missed most of this season with a serious knee injury, left the field moments after Atalanta made their last substitution of the evening, leaving Gian Piero Gasperini’s team with 10 men for the final minutes.

With three second-half goals in the win over Club Brugge 3-1 on Wednesday, Manchester City saved themselves from an embarrassing Champions League early exit and advanced to the play-off round.

Raphael Onyedika gave City the lead just before half-time, which set the Belgian champions on their way to packing before the knockout stages for the first time since 2012.

City rallied just in time to win all three of their opening seven matches in the new format of the competition after only two of their first two.

Mateo Kovacic struck from the edge of the box before Joel Ordonez’s unfortunate mistake turned in Josko Gvardiol’s cross.

Pep Guardiola was anxiously pursuing the touchline all the way through the third half and was arrested for protesting against the officials when substitute Savinho was substituted.

Before the action even started at the Etihad, a&nbsp, merchandise stand caught fire on the stadium’s perimeter just before the teams arrived.

Unbeaten in 21 games, Brugge traveled to Manchester, and they were unfazed by the challenge of facing a diminished version of the English champion.

City had already suffered a slow start, with Christos Tzolis posing a constant threat to Brugge, after losing ten games to the visitors.

Ilkay Gundogan slotted home from the penalty spot but Bernardo Silva’s header sent City to a halt.

However, Brugge remained a constant threat during the counterattack, and just before half-time, they were given their reward.

The Greek’s cross was once more brought home by Onyedika, who was also the creator.

In a surprisingly inspired change, Guardiola replaced Gundogan with Savinho at the break because City posed a much greater attacking threat in the second period.

Just a moment after the restart, John Stones had a fantastic chance to equalize.

The Croatian made a much-needed drive from the City midfield before scoring from the edge of the box to give the game’s 53rd minute equal.

However, Brugge could have caused the 2023 champions to concede a late penalty in the nine minutes between City’s first and second goals.

Tzolis fired too close to Ederson, drilled a shot inches wide and was prevented another clear sight of goal by Gvardiol’s last-ditch intervention with a hat-trick of big chances.

As Ordonez turned Gvardiol’s low cross into his own net, Brugge was the one who did the hard work for City at the other end.

Guardiola furiously kicked a water box during his celebration.

When Erling Haaland squandered his most important chance of the evening when Savinho’s follow-up effort was saved by Simon Mignolet and Brandon Mechele’s penalty clearance was obliterated, the City boss’ mood was heightened.

When Savinho drew Stones’ cross on his chest and fired in his first Champions League goal, Guardiola was finally able to smile and give relief 13 minutes later.

Before the match was over, Guardiola even embraced Nicky Hayen, who had just exchanged a handshake during stoppage time.

Just before Wednesday’s crucial Champions League game against Club Brugge, a merchandise stand caught fire, leading to a fire that erupted outside Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.

Around 30 minutes later, the fire started just before 1800 GMT near the Pep Guardiola’s side’s scheduled entrance to the stadium.

A pre-match entertainment show with on-stage interviews with City’s new signings Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis, and Abdukodir Khusanov was attended by hundreds of fans outside the Etihad.

Rebecca Knaak and Aemu Oyama, both women singers, were on stage at the time the fire, when the show had already started.

Before fire services arrived on the scene, the event was postponed due to the stand’s engulfing flames, which caused stewards to escort fans away.

A fire engine was immediately on the scene and stewards and security staff quickly ushered the area away.

Soon after the fire broke out, it appeared to be controlled, and the stadium was declared open to the public.

Three entrance gates remained open in the burned-out area close to the fire’s location.

The remainder of the pre-match show was cancelled, but the match was due to go ahead as scheduled at 2000 GMT.

To advance to the Champions League play-off round, Premier League champions City must defeat Brugge in their final game of the season.