MANCHESTER CITY were dominated by Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League knockout phase play off.
Kylian Mbappe scored a stunning hat-trick as Real won 3-1 on the night, and a whopping 6-3 on aggregate.
The result means it is the first time in 12 years that City failed to reached the Last 16 of Europe’s elite competition.
- Result: Real Madrid 3 Man City 0 (Real win 6-3 on aggregate)
- Real Madrid team: Courtois; Valverde, Rudiger, Asencio, Mendy; Tchouameni, Ceballos, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr
- Man City team: Ederson, Khusanov, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol, Nico, Gundogan, Bernardo, Foden, Savinho, Marmoush
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Match report
How far and how fast the mighty have fallen.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, the dominant force in English football and a major European powerhouse for so long, are now not even close.
Whenever they travel away to face an elite team, City are being hammered – at Liverpool, where the 2-0 scoreline flattered them immensely, at Arsenal where they were trounced 5-1. They were soundly beaten at Juventus and Paris St Germain too.
And here in the Bernabeu tonight, they were taunted, tormented, toyed with and ultimately humiliated – the mocking ‘oles!’ of Real Madrid’s supporters ringing in their ears as Carlo Ancelotti’s men ran rings around them.
On the eve of this match, Guardiola claimed he had been joking when he said City had only a ‘one per cent chance’ of overturning their 3-2 first-leg deficit.
Well, within four minutes, those odds looked spot-on, after Kylian Mbappe had lobbed Ederson on his way to a high-class hat-trick.
Creating the wrong history
OptaJoe say tonight’s defeat:
- meant Pep Guardiola hasn’t reached the knockout round of the Champions League for the first time in his career.
- was City’s 13th of the season in all competitions – the most Guardiola has suffered in any single season. With three months to go…
- saw the earliest goal Man City have conceded in the competition since October 2018 against Hoffenheim
Last 16 complete
PSV have beaten Juventus in extra time to round off the last-16 contenders in Friday’s draw.
Some top teams in it, City will be devastated to miss out.
Seeded teams
- Liverpool
- Barcelona
- Arsenal
- Inter Milan
- Atletico Madrid
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Lille
- Aston Villa
Unseeded
- Bayern Munich
- Feyenoord
- Club Brugge
- Benfica
- Borussia Dortmund
- Real Madrid
- PSG
- PSV
Next up for Madrid?
They’ll find out in Friday’s draw.
But it’ll be either ATLETICO MADRID or BAYER LEVERKUSEN in the next round.
A local derby or game against last season’s Bundesliga Invincibles, coached by their former midfielder.
Tasty.
Jude reacts
Jude Bellingham says winning their defensive battle was key to allowing the forward players to do the damage.
He told TNT Sports: “It was a good evening and a good performance from us. It was a really enjoyable game to play in. The most important thing for us was the defensive side of the game.
“We knew that once we boxed that off we could attack with more freedom and that was the key tonight and in the other game.
“They [Man City] have had some injuries and we are also on the back end of that and welcoming some of the lads back. He is important for us in terms of the leadership in the dressing room, having that loud presence before the game, particularly for us younger players. When we are at full strength we are a much better team.
“You always want to play teams at their best and when you see Haaland is not in the team you obviously hope it is nothing serious. He is a good mate of mine and I hope it is not too bad.
“You play against what you are up against and I thought we managed it well today. They still have other players that can step in and cause damage.”
Doesn’t get easier
Guardiola said his focus now is on beating Liverpool this weekend, then the next game and compete for top four.
Things don’t get much easier, with Liverpool (H), Tottenham (A) and Nottingham Forest (A) the next three league games.
Plymouth at home in the FA Cup looks a tricky game the way things are going too.
Pep reacts
Pep Guardiola told TNT Sports: “After we conceded the goal it was more and more difficult.
“The best team won, so congratulations to Real Madrid. Our focus is now all on the Premier League.
“In the 180 minutes we had a good 30-35 minutes in the first half of the first leg.
“Not just Kylian, they have a fantastic team. They deserve to go through.
“It’s the first time we didn’t have a good Champions League run so we need to fight to be back in this competition again next year.
“They’ll be a contender but there are other good teams. It’ll be interesting.”
Final 16
So 16 teams remain in the top competition.
Well 17 at the minute as PSV and Juventus are into extra time in their play-off round.
Seeded teams
- Liverpool
- Barcelona
- Arsenal
- Inter Milan
- Atletico Madrid
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Lille
- Aston Villa
Unseeded
- Bayern Munich
- Feyenoord
- Club Brugge
- Benfica
- Borussia Dortmund
- Real Madrid
- PSG
- PSV / Juventus
Kyl-er instinct
Kylian Mbappe says it was only logical that Madrid would reach the next round and he’s thriving now his adaptation period is over.
He told Uefa’s website: “A perfect night for the team. We wanted to win.
“We wanted to qualify for the next round. For us it was only logical that Real Madrid reached the next round of the Champions League.
“When you play against Manchester City it is always a difficult game but we knew that at home we would be very strong. We played better as a group and we were able to give a lot of joy to the fans. We have to continue in this way if we are to win what we want to win this season.
“I want to play well here, I want to make a mark on the season. I want to write history with Real Madrid. The adaptation period for me has ended and now I have to show my quality.”
Final stats
Plenty times covering Man City I’ve said they’re keeping possession for possession’s sake.
No real threat, nobody to play that pass that Kevin de Bruyne does.
They’ve ended up with more possession than Real Madrid tonight. Only when Madrid let them have it though.
But to barely threaten the Madrid goal highlights that point earlier in this post.
‘Miles off it’
Ex-England keeper Paul Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Manchester City are miles off it. They really are.
“We have seen them lose games in the Premier League that we wouldn’t have expected them to lose.
“But look in the Champions League, losing away wat Sporting, the loss at Juventus, the way that they capitulated at Paris St-Germain.
“There have been signs of their form coming back in the league but tonight highlighted all the flaws that they have got.”
Man of the match
Probably no surprise that his hat trick also earned a man of the match award for Kylian Mbappe.
A terrific night for him though he didn’t have to work overly hard for it.
Unwanted history
So exit from the Champions League before it even gets juicy.
The damage was done in an appalling league phase and they’ll be looking back at chances missed.
It’s the first time in the Pep Guardiola era and first time since the 2012/13 season that they’ve been dumped from Europe before the knockout stage really begins.
Nobody could’ve seen this coming four months ago.
Full time from Martin Blackburn at the Bernabeu
These two teams have produced some incredible drama in recent years – but there was none of it here.
As easy as it gets for Real who completely outclassed a bitterly disappointing City side – and won thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s wonderful hat-trick.
A late goal from Nico Gonzalez was no consolation at all.
A rare early exit for Guardiola’s men but they only have themselves to blame for a turbulent group stage.
FULL TIME
Manchester City exit the Champions League before the round of 16 with a whimper.
REAL MADRID 3-1 MAN CITY – AGG: 6-3
90+1 – Real Madrid 3-1 Man City (agg: 6-3)
Marmoush’s free kick hits the crossbar and bounces back into the six-yard box.
The Madrid defence are all sleepy and Nico drifts in all alone to tap it uncontested into an empty net.
Ironic cheers from the Manchester City supporters, which in turn are cheered by the Madrid fans.
90+1 – GOAL! Real Madrid 3-1 MAN CITY
Nico Gonzalez grabs a consolation in stoppage time.
90+1 – Real Madrid 3-0 Man City (agg: 6-2)
Another City free kick as Camavinga penalised.
This one 25 yards from goal and central, so it opens up the chances someone else can take it.
90 – Real Madrid 3-0 Man City (agg: 6-2)
Two minutes added.
90 – Real Madrid 3-0 Man City (agg: 6-2)
Marmoush’s free kick sums up City’s night. Pathetic.
Straight into the wall.
Madrid make two more changes for the final seconds:
- OFF: Vinicius Jr and Valverde
- ON: Endrick and Alaba
89 – Real Madrid 3-0 Man City (agg: 6-2)
McAtee seems to be elbowed in the head inside the penalty area.
The referee gives the foul but gives a free kick.
VAR are checking it and should give a penalty. Somehow, he backs the referee’s decision and gives the free kick.
That Madrid referee pressure carries some weight, eh….
88 – Real Madrid 3-0 Man City (agg: 6-2)
Khusanov does well to collect the second ball and nutmegs Asencio before striking at goal.
It hurts Courtois in a sore area – that’ll wake him up – and goes behind for another corner.
86 – Real Madrid 3-0 Man City (agg: 6-2)
Savinho’s attempted cross from the left hits the first man.
Gvardiol then slides a clever pass into the box for McAtee but he’s followed by Modric who gets back well to concede the corner.
MADRID, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 19: Omar Marmoush of Manchester City looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between Real Madrid C.F. and Manchester City at Santiago Bernabeu on February 19, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) 85 – Real Madrid 3-0 Man City (agg: 6-2)
Good build-up from Madrid as Modric finds Vinicius Jr charging down the right.
He pings it to the edge of the box to find Bellingham, who slides in Rodrygo on the left but his attempt at running round the ball and getting a good strike on goal isn’t great.
It rolls harmlessly for Ederson to pick up.
81 – Real Madrid 3-0 Man City (agg: 6-2)
Another Madrid change as we countdown to the final whistle.
The stark contrast of what Madrid are bringing off the bench compared to City is telling.
- OFF: Tchouameni
- ON: Modric
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
