City will face a big task in next week’s second leg after Valverde led Madrid to a comfortable 3-0 win at the Bernabéu.
listen to this article3 minutes
information
Published March 11, 2026
Real Madrid thrashed Manchester City 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, with Federico Valverde scoring his first career hat-trick and leaving a difficult task for the Premier League side.
Josep Guardiola’s City side got off to a bright start at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday, but were caught up by Madrid’s pace at half-time.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
A quick move after the goal kick saw Thibaut Courtois unleash Valverde on the right, who slotted in Gianluigi Donnarumma to take the lead in the 20th minute.
The Uruguay international has taken on the responsibility of inspiring the record 15-time champions, with stars such as Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo absent through injury.
Seven minutes later, Vinicius Junior took a superb shot from the left and fed Valverde, who beat the offside trap and found the back of the net.
Madrid attacked again in the 42nd minute with a quick counter. Vinicius darted forward, Brahim Díaz clipped a pass into the path of Valverde, and the Uruguayan completed the treble with a superb volley after flicking the ball over a helpless Marc Gehi.
City pressed on after half-time, but it was the hosts who squandered a golden chance to do more damage with Donnarumma denying Vinicius from the penalty spot after the goalkeeper brought him down inside the penalty area.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, holders Paris Saint-Germain built a clear advantage in their Champions League last-16 clash with Chelsea after substitute Hviča Kvaratschelia sparked an exhilarating 5-2 first-leg win at the Parc des Princes.
Luis Enrique’s side took the lead twice with goals from Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele, but each time they were thwarted by Maro Gusto and Enzo Fernandes, with only doubles from Vicinha and Kvaratscheria adding to the hosts’ third late goal.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Norway’s Bodo/Glimt put in a great performance on their artificial home turf at the Aspumila Stadium to beat Sporting Lisbon 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Sondre Branstad Fett converted a penalty in the 30th minute and Ole Didrik Blomberg followed up with a stunning goal from a narrow angle in first-half stoppage time, extending Norway’s Cinderella winning streak in the Champions League to five straight wins.
Danish striker Kasper Hoch capped off another fairytale shot in the 71st minute by slipping between two defenders and deftly slotting the ball into the net from close range.
Arsenal’s eight-game winning streak in the Champions League came to an end after substitute Kai Havertz needed a penalty in the 89th minute to salvage a 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen in Wednesday’s opening round of the last 16.
Former Leverkusen player Havertz converted a second-half spot-kick to cancel out Robert Andrich’s header for the hosts in the 46th minute, marking Arsenal’s first setback this season in Europe’s elite competition as they chased the quadruple title.
