Man City Left Watching the Valverde Show as Madrid Skipper Runs Riot at the Bernabeu

Captain Fede Valverde’s brilliant first-half hat-trick inspired injury-depleted Real Madrid to a comprehensive victory over Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League last 16.

Madrid – who laboured past Benfica in the last round and had lost two of their three LaLiga games prior to this clash – sent out the message yet again that the Champions League is their competition.

It leaves City – who had won 2-1 at the Bernabeu in the league phase – with a mountain to climb in the second leg if they’re to defeat the 15-time European champions over two legs for just the second time.

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Having weathered an early Man City storm, Madrid – missing the likes of Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo – took the lead through captain Fede Valverde in true route-one fashion.

Thibaut Courtois’ laser-guided long ball from his own box had City left-back Nico O’Reilly caught in two minds, Gianluigi Donnarumma came rushing out and seemed to lose his bearings – pulling his hand away at the vital moment – and Valverde, off balance, stroked into the empty net from a tight angle for his first Champions League goal in two years.

You wait for a Champions League goal and two come along at once… Valverde was soon at the double, this time receiving Vinicius Junior’s deflected through-ball and taking a touch into the box before flashing a fine finish into the far corner.

Make that three – and the strike which sealed Valverde’s first career hat-trick shortly before half-time was, fittingly, the best of the bunch.

The Uruguayan left Marc Guehi stranded with a world-class touch from Brahim Diaz’s dink forward, before stroking the ball home on the volley to put the hosts in a dauntingly commanding position.

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Madrid almost killed the tie barely a minute into the second half, Brahim embarking on a driving run into the box but seeing his shot well-saved by Donnarumma – before Ruben Dias made a crucial last-ditch tackle to deny Vinicius on the follow-up.

But Donnarumma’s biggest moment was still to come: Man City’s skyscraper-esque goalkeeper emphasised his penalty-saving prowess by diving low to his left to keep out Vinicius’ spot-kick, having brought the Brazilian down as Man City’s defence were caught napping on the break once more.

Madrid were almost let in for a fourth goal again when Dias slipped on the ball in his own box, but the Portuguese recovered just in the nick of time to tackle the pouncing Brahim.

Courtois, though, would come up with the most remarkable goal-saving contribution of the night, showing outstanding reflexes to stop O’Reilly’s shot with his right foot after the City man had hawked down and dispossessed Thiago Pitarch.

That was as close as Man City came to getting back into a game which saw them muster a mere 0.56 expected goals (xG) – their lowest in the Champions League all season – and fail to get Erling Haaland involved whatsoever – the Premier League top scorer was substituted on 82 minutes without having had a single shot.

So, to the Etihad Stadium next Tuesday they go – and if City are to go any further in their quest for a quadruple, they’ll have to make history: Madrid have never surrendered a three-goal first-leg advantage in Europe.

Man of the Match: Fede Valverde (Real Madrid)

Three goals. Three quality finishes. A memorable night for the Madrid skipper – who had only previously found the net three times all season. What a time to double your tally.