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Real Madrid picked up a massive 3-0 win over Manchester City in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie on Wednesday, March 11 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Federico Valverde's first half hat trick
Real Madrid skipper Federico Valverde was the star of the match, as he scored an amazing first half hattrick against the Premier League giant.
In the first half, both Madrid and City looked comfortable with their buildup, but Valverde's hattrick dismantled the English club.
The Uruguayan player scored his first goal in the 20th minute and opened the scoring in the game. Just seven minutes later, he capitalized on a pass from Vinicius Jr, shooting from his weaker left foot and doubled the lead for the hosts. To complete the hat-trick, he got a chipped pass from Brahim Diaz and produced a right-footed volley.
Big feat for Federico Valverde
With this, Valverde became the first Uruguay player to amass a hat-trick in Champions League since Walter Pandiani in 2001.
Vinicius Junior's missed penalty
After the first half, the second half was just a mere formality for the hosts. But the final score line could have been 4-0, only if Vinicius Jr converted the penalty in the 58th minute.
Vinicius Jr was awarded a penalty, after being fouled in the 57th minute by Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who tripped him while trying to collect the ball. For this, Donnarumma was slapped with a yellow card and a penalty was given to Los Blancos. But, the Brazilian winger failed to convert it with a casual shot.
For Manchester City, it was only Jeremy Doku who was trying to create something with the ball, but ultimately he could not make a difference.
Real Madrid will enter the second leg at the Etihad Stadium on 17 March 2026.
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