Real Madrid 3 – 1 Manchester City
Carlo Ancelotti’s team secured their spot in the Champions League Round of 16 with a dominant 6-3 aggregate victory.
Manchester City, without key players like Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne in the starting lineup, failed to make an impact in this crucial clash. Kylian Mbappé single-handedly dismantled Pep Guardiola’s side with a stunning hat-trick, leading Real Madrid to another triumph over City in the competition.
In the second leg of the playoff on Wednesday, Real Madrid secured a commanding 3-1 victory. Nico González netted a late consolation goal for Manchester City.
This was the fourth consecutive Champions League season in which Real Madrid and Manchester City faced off. Unlike previous thrilling encounters, this match was one-sided, with the reigning champions cruising to victory.
Real Madrid wasted no time, scoring in just the fourth minute. Raúl Asensio launched a brilliant long pass from his own half, forcing Ruben Dias to attempt a clearance with a header outside the box. However, the effort failed, and Mbappé capitalized with a clever finish over the advancing goalkeeper.
With that goal, Real Madrid extended their aggregate lead to 4-2.
City suffered another setback just three minutes later when veteran defender John Stones left the field due to injury, with Nathan Aké coming on as a substitute.
In the 15th minute, Vinícius Júnior’s corner found Jude Bellingham, whose flick narrowly missed the far post. In the 29th minute, Mbappé had a great chance, but his powerful shot was well-handled by Ederson.
However, Ederson couldn’t stop Mbappé in the 32nd minute. Receiving the ball from Rodrygo, the French star skillfully dodged Joško Gvardiol and fired a low-driven shot past the City goalkeeper.
With a 2-0 lead, Real Madrid maintained their dominance before halftime. City struggled to create chances, managing just one shot in the first half, which wasn’t on target. In contrast, Real had seven attempts, with three on target.
Manchester City attempted to respond in the second half but found themselves vulnerable to Madrid’s counterattacks. In the 53rd minute, Rodrygo’s shot slipped through Ederson’s hands, but no Madrid player could capitalize on the rebound.
Four minutes later, Mbappé came close to completing his hat-trick, but Ederson once again denied him after a close-range effort from a Fede Valverde cross.
The hat-trick, however, was inevitable. In the 62nd minute, Mbappé cut inside from the right and drilled a precise shot into the net. Ederson dived, but he had no chance of stopping it.
This marked Mbappé’s 28th goal across all competitions this season. Since the 2016-17 season, he has now scored 24 goals in the Champions League knockout rounds, more than any other player in that period.
It was also Mbappé’s third Champions League hat-trick, taking his tally to seven goals in this year’s tournament.
In the 74th minute, Vinícius nearly added another, but Ederson pulled off a fantastic save. In stoppage time, Nico González pulled one back for City, capitalizing on a rebound after Omar Marmoush’s free-kick struck the crossbar. It was the young Spanish midfielder’s first goal for City and his first in the Champions League.
Real Madrid now advance confidently to the next round, fueled by Mbappé’s brilliance and a dominant all-around performance.
