Mbappe hat-trick as Real Madrid knock Man City out of Champions League
MADRID: Kylian Mbappe struck a brilliant hat-trick for Champions League holders Real Madrid in a 3-1 win over Manchester City on Wednesday, helping Los Blancos reach the last 16 with a 6-3 aggregate victory. Pep Guardiola’s side, shorn of key striker Erling Haaland, suffered a painful early exit without laying a glove on the completely dominant 15-time record winners in the Spanish capital, until Nico Gonzalez tapped home in stoppage time. French superstar Mbappe broke the deadlock with a lob in the fourth minute and netted a fine second after combining with his attacking partners as the English side were sliced open. The striker, in sensational form after a slow start to life at Madrid, completed his treble in the second half with a low strike from the edge of the box to reach seven goals in the competition this season in 10 appearances. City, who won the competition in 2023, were a far cry from their best as has been the case for much of their campaign. Guardiola was dealt bad news before the game with Haaland, who netted twice in the first leg, named on the bench after a suffering a knock at the weekend against Newcastle. By contrast Real Madrid welcomed Antonio Rudiger back from injury and he slotted seamlessly into defense, with Aurelien Tchouameni restored to his preferred midfield slot. Carlo Ancelotti’s side performed almost flawlessly in the first half and took the lead in the opening stages. Mbappe shrugged off Ruben Dias and lofted the ball over City goalkeeper Ederson after young center-back Raul Asencio played him in with a long pass. John Stones limped off for the visitors a few minutes later in another blow for the Premier League champions. Fede Valverde had a shot deflected narrowly wide and Ederson
