Real Madrid produced a commanding performance to defeat Manchester City 3–0 in the first leg of their last-16 clash in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. Midfielder Federico Valverde delivered an outstanding display, scoring a rare hat-trick in the first half to give the Spanish giants a major advantage ahead of the return leg. The victory also allowed Madrid to avenge their earlier defeat to City during the league phase of the competition.

Valverde opened the scoring after running onto a long kick from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and calmly finishing past City’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The Uruguayan midfielder soon doubled the lead with a powerful low strike from outside the box. He completed his hat-trick later in the half after combining neatly with Brahim Díaz, sealing a remarkable night for the 15-time European champions.

City struggled to recover from the early blows and could have conceded further goals in the second half. Madrid were awarded a penalty after Donnarumma brought down Vinícius Júnior inside the area, but the Brazilian forward’s attempt was saved by the goalkeeper. Despite the defeat, City manager Pep Guardiola insisted the tie was not yet over, saying his team would continue fighting for a comeback in the second leg.

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In another major fixture of the night, defending champions Paris Saint‑Germain secured a high-scoring 5–2 victory over Chelsea at the Parc des Princes. Goals from Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé helped PSG establish an early lead before Chelsea responded through Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernández to keep the contest competitive.

However, the French side regained control after Vitinha capitalised on a goalkeeping mistake to score before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia struck twice late in the game to seal a convincing win. PSG coach Luis Enrique praised his team’s resilience despite acknowledging that the side have struggled at times to match the consistency of their previous season.

Elsewhere in the competition, Arsenal managed a late 1–1 draw away to Bayer Leverkusen after Kai Havertz scored an 89th-minute penalty against his former club. Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt continued their impressive run with a 3–0 win over Sporting CP, keeping alive their surprising journey in Europe’s premier club football tournament.

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