Federico Valverde scored the first hat-trick of his career as Real Madrid saw off Manchester City 3-0 in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League last 16 on Wednesday, leaving the England side with a daunting task.
Pep Guardiola’s City team started brightly at the Santiago Bernabéu, but were surprised by Madrid’s pace at half-time.
Thibaut Courtois released Valverde on the right, who rounded Gianluigi Donnarumma to open the scoring in the 20th minute and seven minutes later Vinicius Jr gave the lead to Valverde, who beat the offside trap and pushed home.
Madrid struck again in the 42nd minute, after another quick counter. Brahim Diaz tapped a pass into the path of Valverde, with the Uruguayan completing his treble with a fine volley after firing the ball over a helpless Marc Guehi.
City pressed after the break but it was the hosts who missed a great opportunity to strike another blow as Donnarumma denied Vinicius from the penalty spot after the goalkeeper brought down the Brazilian in the penalty area.
«I really enjoyed today; it has been a long time since I enjoyed a match so much. I am happy, I am happy, but above all I am very happy with the team’s victory,» Valverde said after the match.
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Guardiola arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu intent on exploiting Real’s defensive weaknesses, especially on the flank, and quickly mounted the attack through Antoine Semenyo, Savinho and Jeremy Doku h1dg.
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It worked for a while. Doku tormented Trent Alexander-Arnold in the early exchanges, repeatedly catching the defender out of position and helping City pin Real back. The visitor prowled Courtois’ area and looked increasingly confident as he pushed for an opener.
But his attacking ambition came with risks, and Real needed little invitation to counter.
Moments after Bernardo Silva shot narrowly wide, Real opened the scoring. Courtois spotted Valverde racing unnoticed down the right flank and delivered an accurate long ball from the edge of his own six-yard box, allowing the Uruguayan to sprint free and find the net.
City were stunned and Real felt his vulnerability. Valverde doubled the lead when Vinicius burst in from the left and slid a through ball that went off a defender and into the Uruguayan’s path. The midfielder drove into the area and fired a low, angled strike into the far bottom corner.
Guardiola’s side, lacking control in midfield, were repeatedly exposed to Real’s direct running and long passing. Vinicius was the spearhead, with Brahim and Valverde attacking from deep against a City defense struggling to track down runners.
The third goal was also caused by Real’s attacking speed. Vinicius started a solo run from the left before switching play to Brahim on the right.
Surrounded by three defenders, the Moroccan made a delicate pass across the back line and Valverde arrived late, lobbed the onrushing Guehi and followed with a sharp volley to complete his hat-trick and delight the Bernabeu.
City emerged after the break with renewed intent. Courtois produced a sharp save to deny Semenyo from close range, while Nico O’Reilly was later kept out by the Belgian keeper who was in inspired form.
However, Real remained a threat until half time. Vinicius was brought down by Donnarumma in the penalty area as he headed towards goal, resulting in a penalty. The Brazilian took it himself, but saw his low effort to the right saved by Donnarumma.
It was a rare disappointment for City on a night when its adventurous approach was ruthlessly punished, with the Spanish side traveling to England for the second leg on an impressive cushion next Tuesday.
Published on March 12, 2026
