The crowd broke out the "oles" by the 70th minute as Real Madrid crushed Manchester City 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu. It wasn't a close affair with Real Madrid coasting past Manchester City 6-3 on aggregate. Kylian Mbappe scored a hat trick with his first goal coming in the fourth minute of play and Real Madrid wouldn't look back from there. City's attack was forced into a late shuffle with Erling Haaland being unavailable for the match due to a knee injury, but City being unable to score in a match where they needed goals is a testament to the Real Madrid defense.
Boosted by Antonio Rudiger's return to the defense, Madrid limited City to only four shots on target and have now ended City's run of consecutive appearances in the last 16 of the Champions League at 11. It has been a down season for Pep Guardiola's side, but now as they crash out of Europe, the disappointment truly comes into focus. Real Madrid will find out Friday if they'll face Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid in the round of 16. Due to yellow card accumulation, Jude Bellingham will be unavailable for the first leg of that clash.
There were concerns about spacing and when Mbappe would be able to figure out interchanging with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo but fast forward and the Frenchman now has 27 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions. Scoring goals in four out of his last five Champions League games for Los Blancos, as the stage has grown, Mbappe has been able to step up and perform and his hat trick to sink City is a sign of that.
It was a wonderful finish to start the hat trick and with scoring in the fourth minute of play, it was a moment that changed the entire match by putting City behind by two goals on aggregate. But then he went on a tear with a mission of scoring as many goals as possible. With Mbappe in this form, there is no team in the world that can stop Real Madrid, which could spell trouble for teams in later rounds.
It's one thing to lose a match like this, it's another to be blown out and crash out of the Champions League like this. It has been a season of disappointments for City but crashing out of the Champions League before the round of 16 has to be among the biggest. During January, City spent plenty of money to try and reinforce the squad and three new signings in Nico Gonzalez, Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov all started this match but weren't enough to change the outcome.
This doesn't mean that City won't be back, but the club is at a crossroads. It's not all down to losing Rodri during the season, but if these signings aren't part of the solution, things could get worse before they get better for City as Guardiola has signed on for another year leading the club.
Real Madrid will now await their fate for the round of 16 draw on Friday, before prepping to face Girona at home while looking to return atop La Liga. Things won't get easier for Manchester City with Liverpool up next while City look to keep hold of a top four spot in the Premier League. Things are getting tight with Bournemouth, Chelsea and Newcastle United all within three points so there's a very real possibility that City could miss out on European soccer all together next season.
It's a case of too little too late after Omar Marmoush's shot rebounded to the onrushing Nico Gonzalez who popped his finish into the back of an empty net but it wouldn't be enough to offset Kylian Mbappe's hat trick. Real Madrid is off and running as a team that no one will want to face as they're gelling at the right time of the season.
He's denied the perfect hat trick with Madrid making a line change but considering that Los Blancos are winning emphatically, no one will be complaining.
Manchester City has been in the last 16 for 11 consecutive seasons and that looks to be coming to an end as they now trail by a whopping four goals on aggregate. With 20 minutes remaining it feels safe to assume City won't be coming back from this one.
Mbappe was close to getting a hat trick but Ederson was forced into a good save to deny him despite the Frenchman eventually being flagged for being offside.
Both teams are continuing the same way that they finished the first half but City is probing to find space for a shot although Nico Gonzalez has now picked up a yellow card for holding Vini Jr.
More changes could be coming for City after a first half where they were second best to everything. It's all Real Madrid and now with City being down by three goals on aggregate, if they can't score a goal right out of the break, this is cooked. It's also tough to see City scoring quickly when they've taken one shot during the entire first half.
It's a poor challenge from the Englishman but a costly one. Due to yellow card accumulation Bellingham will now miss the first leg of Real Madrid's round of 16 match if they are to qualify.
Real Madrid may only have one shot on goal but one is all it took with Mbappe's cool finish. So far Los Blancos are dominating the midfield and City hasn't had a counter for it. There is space out wide to exploit but with the current setup, City hasn't been able to exploit that which will be needed when they need to score quickly.
When Real Madrid sees a lane the have been able to take it quickly before Manchester City can adjust. It's a match that already feels like Madrid will score a second goal before City can score a first and it's only in the 17th minute of play.
It's a non contact injury for the City defender and Nathan Ake has to come in after only being fit for 60 minutes of action in the first half of play. A thin City defense is getting thinner by the second.
Strap in for what should be an exciting match in Madrid!
It very nearly finished level last week before Real did what they do best. This one could see Pep Guardiola and his City outfit raging against the dying of the light and possibly leading the game at some point, but ultimately the defending European champions should do enough to see things through and advance. -- Jonathan Johnson
Already finding the back of the net with a shin-tastic finish in the first leg, another goal could be enough to send Real Madrid through to the last 16. Given City's defensive issues, Mbappe will have space to exploit and now that he's growing into his role at Real Madrid, the goals will follow. -- Chuck Booth
After a disappointing weekend where he received a red card against Osasuna after offending the referee, Jude Bellingham is called to react in one of the most important games of the season against Manchester City. While it's likely the Englishman will miss some games in the Spanish league, the game against the side coached by Pep Guardiola is the perfect chance to forget what has happened over the weekend in Spain. -- Francesco Porzio
Having been surprisingly absent from the XI in the first leg, the weekend's hattrick hero will surely start in the Santiago Bernabeu. He'll offer just what City missed in that game, where five attacking midfielder options combined for just three shots. Events at the Etihad proved Erling Haaland can't do it all himself. Marmoush can share the burden. -- James Benge
All times U.S./Eastern
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 19 | TIME | HOW TO WATCH |
Champions League Matchday | 12 p.m. | |
Borussia Dortmund vs. Sporting Lisbon | 12:45 p.m. | |
UEFA Champions League Today pre-match | 2 p.m. | |
The Golazo Show | 3 p.m. | |
Real Madrid vs. Manchester City | 3 p.m. | |
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Brest | 3 p.m. | |
PSV vs. Juventus | 3 p.m. | |
UEFA Champions League Today post-match | 5 p.m. | |
The Champions Club | 5 p.m. | |
Scoreline | 7 p.m. |
Antonio Rudiger is back in to give Madrid two starting center backs for the match allowing Tchouameni to move back to midfield providing balance.
Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy; Rodrygo, Ceballos, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Mbappe, Vinicius Junior
Subs: Lunin, Mestre, Alaba, Camavinga, Modric, Guler, Endrick, Vazquez, Vallejo, Fran Garcia, Brahim
It's quite a blow for Manchester City as their star striker Erling Haaland has to settle for a place on the bench due to knee pain. Omar Marmoush will lead the line in a critical match.
Manchester City XI: Ederson; Khusanov, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Silva, Gonzalez, Gundogan; Foden, Marmoush, Savinho
Subs: Ortega, Carson, Kovacic, Ake, Haaland, Grealish, Doku, De Bruyne, Nunes, Lewis, McAtee
The Santiago Bernabeu should be in for quite a clash as Real Madrid and Manchester City continue their annual meetings in Champions League play. Madrid already took care of business in Manchester winning 3-2 but with the match now coming back to their home stadium, this is anything but over in what could become a goal explosion.
