Real Madrid 3-0 Man City: Federico Valverde steals the show with first-half hat trick

Manchester City’s UEFA Champions League campaign is hanging by a thread after Federico Valverde bagged a first-half hat trick and Real Madrid took a commanding 3-0 lead in their round of 16 tie on Wednesday.

MORE — Real Madrid v Man City player ratings

Valverde opened the scoring in the 20th minute (assist to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois) with a clever touch around Gianluigi Donnarumma and a finish into an empty net. It was 2-0 just seven minutes later, thanks to a first touch and weak-footed strike of a seasoned striker — but hardly his best work of the night. That was goal no. 3, in the 42nd minute.

MORE — Champions League scores, schedule

Brahim Diaz clipped an inch-perfect ball over Man City’s defense and landed it right on Valverde’s right foot as he charged forward into the penalty area. Valverde touched the ball waist-high, lifted it over Marc Guehi as Valverde ran around behind the defender, out the other side to collect his winnings and hammer it past Donnarumma.

Real Madrid will defend their three-goal advantage next Tuesday (4 pm ET) in Manchester.

What’s next?

• West Ham vs Man City — Saturday, 4 pm ET
• Real Madrid vs Elche — Saturday, 4 pm ET
• Man City vs Real Madrid — Tuesday, 4 pm ET

Real Madrid vs Manchester City live updates – by Andy Edwards

Real Madrid vs Manchester City final score: 3-0

Goalscorers: Federico Valverde (20′, 27′, 42′)

PENALTY SAVED! Donnarumma denies Vinicius from the spot (57′)

GOAL! Real Madrid 3-0 Man City: Valverde finishes his hat trick with a brilliant touch (42′)

GOAL! Real Madrid 2-0 Man City: Valverde bags another with a fine finish (27′)

GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Man City: Valverde slots home from a tight angle (20′)

Real Madrid starting XI

Courtois – Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Mendy – Tchouameni, Valverde, Pitarch, Guler – Diaz, Vinicius

Man City starting XI

Donnarumma – Khusanov, Dias, Guehi, O’Reilly – Rodri, Silva, Semenyo – Savinho, Doku, Haaland

How to watch Real Madrid vs Manchester City live, stream link and start time

Kick off time: 4pm ET Wednesday (March 11)
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu — Madrid, Spain
TV Channel/Streaming: Paramount+

They have squared off in the Champions League knockout rounds in each of the last four years with Real knocking City out of the competition in the last two seasons. City have revenge on their mind. Pep Guardiola’s side are hunting down Arsenal in the Premier League and have looked okay in the Champions League this season despite a few dodgy results. They are the favorites heading into this tie and have already won 2-1 at Real Madrid in the league phase this season.

Real Madrid fired Xabi Alonso just a few months into the job after a tough start to the season, which was complicated further by plenty of defensive injuries. Alvaro Arbeloa has settled things down but Real are still four points behind Barcelona in La Liga and had to go through the playoff round in the Champions League as they beat Benfica comfortably, in the end. Injuries to Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham has added further problems for Arbeola to solve.

Real Madrid team news, focus

Defensive injuries have hit Real Madrid hard this season and star striker Kylian Mbappe has been missing recently and is a big doubt for this game. With Rodrygo also out, that means there is plenty of pressure on Vinicius Junior to carry the goalscoring load. Eder Militao, David Alaba and Alvaro Carreras remain out injured as Real’s defense is stretched to its limits. Trent Alexander-Arnold will line up at right back, while Jude Bellingham and Dani Ceballos are injured in midfield. All of that means Vinicius will likely partner young striker Gonzalo Garcia in attack with Turkish playmaker Arda Guler a growing influence in midfield.

Manchester City team news, focus

City are without Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic through injury but Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo have made a big impact since their January arrivals and both will relish the challenge of taking on Real Madrid. Erling Haaland has been struggling with a knock but is fit, while it will be intriguing to see who Guardiola lines up to support him as Rayan Cherki will likely get the nod to start alongside Semenyo. All of a sudden City have plenty of options in defense and midfield as injuries have calmed down.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City prediction

We can expect a bit of a cagey game given how well these two teams know one another. Go for a draw. Real Madrid 1-1 Manchester City.