Real Madrid Takes Advantage of a Crisis-Stricken City and Qualifies for Champions Round of 16 (3-1)

Real Madrid made 'firewood' from a 'fallen tree'. The merengues returned to the Santiago Bernabéu to face Manchester City in the second leg of the Round of 32 of the Champions League and, taking advantage of a rival in crisis, achieved a resounding victory to seal their qualification for the knockout stage of the continental competition (3-1).

Coached by Carlo Ancelotti, they capitalized on the poor form of the Mancunians, clearly 'decimated' by the absence of Erling Haaland, who watched the match from the bench due to physical issues, and thanks to a 'hat-trick' from Kylian Mbappé, they will continue their journey in the European championship. The whites are now waiting to find out their opponent in the next round, where they will face either Bayer Leverkusen or Atlético de Madrid.

Madrid Sealed the Match in the First Half

The match ended shortly after the referee's initial whistle. The clock showed 4 minutes into the match when Raúl Asencio sent a good ball into space for Mbappé's run, who got behind Rúben Dias and Stones. The Frenchman saw Ederson off his line and finished with a tremendous lob to open the scoring.

From that moment on, the duel between the two teams broke apart. The City was a shadow of itself and could not find answers against a Madrid side that, despite still leaving much to be desired on the pitch, played a solid match in both areas and dominated without too many scares.

Thus, at the 33rd minute, Mbappé put distance between the two teams with his second goal of the night. Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo combined at the edge of the area, and the '11' assisted the Bondy native, who, after getting past Gvardiol with a cut in the small area, smashed the ball past the Brazilian goalkeeper with a low right shot, sending the match to halftime with the feeling that the tie was sealed.

Real Madrid is in the Champions Round of 16

Upon returning from the locker rooms, the trend of the first 45 minutes continued. An unrecognizable City looked sluggish on the Bernabéu pitch, and Madrid remained the owner of the match without doing too much. The whites relentlessly sought the third goal to confirm their victory, and after several failed attempts, they would finally get their reward.

At the 61st minute, Kylian Mbappé controlled the ball at the edge of the area, and after facing his marker, he managed to create space at the front, unleashing a precise left-footed shot into the far corner to beat Ederson again and celebrate his second 'hat-trick' as a merengue. The Frenchman's goal was the final nail in the coffin, and although Nico González pulled one back for the 'skyblues' as the match was winding down, the whites took home the victory and the qualification.

Thus, after several years of being humiliated and overwhelmed by Pep Guardiola, the Madrid team confirmed the crisis of a Manchester City that, after entering the playoff through the 'window', suffered an early elimination that highlights their poor form. The merengues, for their part, now have their sights set on the draw next Friday, February 21, where they will find out their opponent in the Round of 16. Bayer Leverkusen or Atlético de Madrid await them.

Technical Sheet of the Match:

• Real Madrid, 3: Courtois; Valverde (Alaba, min. 90+1), Rüdiger, Asencio, Mendy; Ceballos (Camavinga, min. 78), Tchouameni (Modric, min. 83); Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius (Endrick, min. 90+1); Mbappé (Brahim Díaz, min. 78).
• Manchester City, 1: Ederson; Khusanov, Stones (Aké, min. 8), Rúben Dias, Gvardiol; Nico, Gündogan (Kovacic, min. 77), Bernardo Silva; Foden (McAtee, min. 77), Marmoush, and Savinho.
• Goals: 1-0, Kylian Mbappé (min. 4); 2-0, Kylian Mbappé (min. 33); 3-0, Kylian Mbappé (min. 61); 3-1, Nico González (min. 90+3).
• Referee: Dennis Johan Higler.
• Stadium: Santiago Bernabéu.