Kylian Mbappé on a Man of the Match performance scored a hat trick to lead Real Madrid to a commanding 3-1 victory over Manchester City, securing their qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League.
The match started strongly for Los Blancos, who took the lead just four minutes in. Raul Asensio delivered a precise pass over the top to Mbappé, who skillfully lifted the ball over goalkeeper Ederson and into the net.
Mbappé nearly doubled the score shortly thereafter, forcing Ederson into a save with a powerful shot. In the 34th minute, Jude Bellingham passed to Vinicius Jr., who then set up Rodrygo. Instead of shooting himself, Rodrygo passed back to Mbappé, who cut inside and struck the ball into the net for his second goal.
Manchester City’s situation worsened when John Stones was substituted due to an injury sustained during a seemingly harmless challenge.
On the hour mark, Mbappé completed his hat trick, receiving the ball on the right side of the penalty area with no defenders in his way. He skipped past Phil Foden and finished with a precise, low shot into the far corner of the net.
Real Madrid could have increased their lead even further; Vinicius missed one chance, and another was saved, while Rodrygo and Bellingham created multiple opportunities throughout the match.
“We accept it, the best team won, congratulations Real Madrid and now focus on the Premier League…”Pep Guardiola reacts to Man City’s loss to Real Madrid.
In the final 15 minutes, Manchester City showed some signs of life after failing to register a shot on target in the first hour. They managed to score a consolation goal in added time when Omar Marmoush’s free-kick hit the crossbar, and Nico Gonzalez was on hand to bundle the ball across the line. A VAR check confirmed that the goal stood.
