Valverde's first-half hat-trick stuns Man City in Champions League
Real Madrid's Federico Valverde scored three goals in 22 minutes as the Spanish club defeated Manchester City 3-0 in their Champions League last-16 first leg at the Bernabeu.
March 11, 2026 at 07:04 PM
Federico Valverde scored a first-half hat-trick as Real Madrid defeated Manchester City 3-0 in their Champions League last-16 first leg at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Valverde opened the scoring in the 20th minute after receiving a long pass from Thibaut Courtois over the head of Nico O'Reilly. He controlled the ball with his first touch, rounded goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma at the edge of the penalty area, and slid the ball home from a tight angle.
The goal came against the run of play after Manchester City had made a fast start to the match. Real Madrid then took control of the game, with Valverde adding two further goals to complete his hat-trick within the opening 22 minutes of the first half.
Real Madrid were missing several key players for the encounter, including Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Álvaro Carreras, and Éder Militão. Despite being considered second-favourites heading into the match, the hosts produced a clinical opening 45 minutes.
Manchester City, managed by Pep Guardiola, had Erling Haaland available after the striker did not play in Saturday's FA Cup win at Newcastle. Haaland leads the competition with seven goals this season, while the absent Mbappé has scored 13 strikes in the Champions League.
In the second half, Vinícius Júnior had a penalty opportunity for Real Madrid but did not convert it. The result leaves Manchester City facing a significant challenge to reach the quarter-finals in Tuesday's return leg.