Federico Valverde scored the first hat-trick of his career as Real Madrid secured a 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday. The result leaves the Premier League side with a daunting challenge in the return leg, having been outplayed at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Pep Guardiola's City started brightly but were caught out by Madrid's pace on the break. In the 20th minute, a swift move from a goal kick saw Thibaut Courtois release Valverde down the right, and the Uruguayan rounded Gianluigi Donnarumma to open the scoring. Valverde took on the responsibility of inspiring the record 15-time champions in the absence of injured stars Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Rodrygo, showcasing his pivotal role in the team's attack.
Seven minutes later, Vinicius Junior made a superb run from the left and fed Valverde, who beat the offside trap to drill home a second goal. Madrid struck again in the 42nd minute after another rapid counter: Vinicius surged forward, Brahim Diaz clipped a pass into Valverde's path, and the Uruguayan completed his treble with a fine volley, flicking the ball over a helpless Marc Guehi to cap a dominant first-half display.
City pressed after half-time, but it was the hosts who wasted a chance to deal another blow when Donnarumma denied Vinicius from the penalty spot after the goalkeeper brought down the Brazilian inside the box. In other Wednesday fixtures, holders Paris Saint-Germain carved out a clear advantage in their Champions League last-16 tie against Chelsea, with substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia inspiring an exhilarating 5-2 first-leg victory at the Parc des Princes. Luis Enrique's side twice went ahead through Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele, only to be pegged back by Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez, before Vitinha and Kvaratskhelia (with a double) added three late goals to secure a commanding lead.
Meanwhile, another stellar display on their artificial home turf at the Aspmyra Stadium gave Norway's Bodo/Glimt a 3-0 win over Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, extending their Cinderella winning run to five consecutive victories in the competition. In the early game, Arsenal's eight-game winning streak in the Champions League came to an end as they needed an 89th-minute penalty from substitute Kai Havertz to rescue a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen, marking the first time this season that the quadruple-chasing Gunners had fallen behind in Europe's elite competition.
Source: www.aljazeera.com