City will face a huge task in next week’s second leg after Valverde inspires Madrid to a 3-0 rout at the Bernabeu.
Posted on March 11, 2026
Federico Valverde scored the first hat-trick of his career as Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie, leaving the Premier League side with a daunting task ahead.
Pep Guardiola’s City started brightly at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday but were caught off guard by Madrid’s pace at half-time.
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With a quick move after a goal kick, Thibaut Courtois released Valverde on the right, who rounded Gianluigi Donnarumma to open the scoring in the 20th minute.
The Uruguayan international took on the responsibility of inspiring the record 15-time champions in the absence of injured stars Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo.
Seven minutes later, Vinicius Júnior made a great run down the left and fed Valverde, who overcame the offside trap and finished.
Madrid scored again in the 42nd minute after another quick counterattack. Vinicius stepped forward and Brahim Díaz cut a pass into the path of Valverde, the Uruguayan completing his hat-trick with a fine volley after launching the ball over a helpless Marc Guehi.
City pressed after the break but it was the hosts who wasted a great opportunity to strike another blow, when Vinicius was denied a penalty by Donnarumma after the goalkeeper brought down the Brazilian inside the area.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, champions Paris St Germain took a clear lead in their Champions League last-16 tie against Chelsea when substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia inspired them to a thrilling 5-2 first-leg victory at the Parc des Princes.
Luis Enrique’s team took the lead twice thanks to Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé, but on each occasion they were stopped by Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernández, but Vitinha and Kvaratskhelia, with a double, added three late goals for the hosts.
Meanwhile, another stellar display on their artificial turf at the Aspmyra Stadium gave Norway’s Bodo/Glmit a 3-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday.
The Norwegians’ Cinderella winning streak in the Champions League was extended to five straight victories when Sondre Brunstad Fet converted a winning penalty on the half-hour mark, and Ole Didrik Blomberg followed up with a superbly placed finish from a tight angle in first-half stoppage time.
Danish striker Kasper Hogh completed another fairytale effort, stealing between two defenders to deftly direct the ball into the net from close range in the 71st minute.
In Wednesday’s opener, Arsenal’s eight-game winning streak in the Champions League came to an end when they needed a penalty from substitute Kai Havertz in the 89th minute to rescue a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their round of 16 tie.
Former Leverkusen player Havertz converted the late penalty kick to cancel out Robert Andrich’s 46th-minute header for the hosts, marking the first time this season that quadruple chasers Arsenal have fallen behind in Europe’s elite competition.
