Mbappe Magic Sends Man City out of the Champions League
Mbappe led Real Madrid to the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 last 16 with a stunning hat-trick in the second leg. His brilliance sealed a 6-3 aggregate win over Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s side fought hard but couldn’t overcome the defending champions in the playoff clash.
Madrid takes advantage in the second leg
These two met each other at the Etihad Stadium last week. Pep Guardiola’s team was looking to take the home advantage but failed to do so. A late injury-time winner by Jude Bellingham ended the tie 3-2 in favor of Ancelotti’s side. Erling Haaland scored a brace but was unable to secure a win. This advantage proved crucial for Madrid as the second leg was scheduled at the Bernabeu.
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Rudiger in, Haaland out
Real Madrid have struggled with injuries, especially in the backline. However, Antonio Rudiger returned to the starting 11, adding more confidence to the team. Manchester City, on the other hand, didn’t start with a single new signing in the first match. They missed the services of Erling Haaland, who was on the bench due to a minor sprain. Omar Marmoush started at the top, with Nico Gonzalez starting in the middle. John Stones started the match but had to walk off due to injury. Khusanov replaced him in the heart of the defense.
Early domination secures the tie
The Los Blancos were on the front foot from the whistle. They were looking confident going forward. In the fourth minute, Raul Asencio delivered a long ball behind City’s defense to find Kylian Mbappe. Ruben Dias failed to clear the ball and Mbappe got the opportunity to get between the two centre-backs. Ederson was off the line. Kylian took advantage of the situation and smartly chipped the ball into the open net. City were already two goals down.
Real Madrid threatened the opposition’s defense and was rewarded with a second goal in the 33rd minute. They hit a counter-attack. Rodrygo was the mastermind behind this. His pass to Mbappe inside the box led to the second goal. Mbappe kept his composure and left Ruben Dias sliding in the box. Kylian found the back of the net and Real Madrid were 2-0 up at half-time.
Mbappe Hat-Trick Hands City Only Consolation
The Frenchman was hungry to score his first UCL hat-trick in Madrid colors. It took him 15 minutes in the second half to score his third goal on the night. Mbappe moved the ball to his weaker left foot and curled the ball past Ederson. This was his 55th goal in the Champions League.
Manchester City were 6-2 down in the tie. There was no coming back from this point. City tried to score a consolation goal. In the 92nd minute, City were awarded a free-kick just outside the box. Omar Marmoush’s shot struck the crossbar. Nico Gonzalez was at the end of the deflected shot and scored his first goal in City colors. The tie ended 3-1.
Real Madrid will face Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16.
