Actual Madrid secured a commanding 3-1 victory over Manchester Metropolis at a raucous Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday, with Kylian Mbappé netting a sensational hat-trick to seal a 6-3 combination win of their Champions League playoff second leg. The reigning champions superior to the final 16, the place they may face both Bayer Leverkusen or metropolis rivals Atlético Madrid, pending Friday’s draw, as they proceed their pursuit of a record-extending sixteenth title.
The outcome marked a historic first for Pep Guardiola, whose staff failed to succeed in the spherical of 16 for the primary time in his illustrious Champions League profession.
“It was an ideal evening,” Mbappé mentioned post-match. “It’s solely logical that Actual Madrid advance to the final 16. We’re very sturdy at dwelling, and it’s nice to present pleasure to our followers.”
Not like the thrilling first leg on the Etihad Stadium, which was full of targets and particular person brilliance, the return fixture was a one-sided affair. Metropolis, already trailing 3-2 on combination, suffered an additional blow earlier than kick-off when star striker Erling Haaland was dominated out because of a knee damage. The guests struggled from the outset, failing to register a single shot on track within the first half and searching a shadow of the dominant facet they as soon as have been beneath Guardiola.
Mbappé opened the scoring in simply the fourth minute, capitalizing on a pricey defensive error from Metropolis captain Rúben Dias earlier than coolly lobbing the ball over an onrushing Ederson. Metropolis’s woes deepened minutes later when John Stones was compelled off with an damage, forcing an early substitution.
The French famous person doubled Madrid’s lead within the thirty third minute, ending from shut vary after Vinícius Jr. set him up with a devastating cutback that left Josko Gvardiol on the bottom. He then accomplished his hat-trick within the 61st minute with a well-placed left-footed strike from the sting of the field, leaving Ederson with no likelihood.
Regardless of relentless Madrid stress, Metropolis managed a comfort purpose in stoppage time by means of Nico González, who tapped in after Omar Marmoush’s free kick rattled the crossbar. Nonetheless, it did little to overshadow Actual’s dominant show.
This newest triumph marked the fifth Champions League knockout assembly between the 2 groups in six seasons and the second consecutive yr that Carlo Ancelotti’s facet eradicated Guardiola’s males. In every of the final three seasons, the winner of this European rivalry has gone on to raise the trophy—Actual in 2022 and 2024, and Metropolis in 2023.
Madrid will now flip their consideration to the subsequent spherical, with their sights firmly set on extending their unprecedented Champions League legacy.
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