With a stunning hat-trick from World Cup-winning French forward Kylian Mbappe, 15-time champions Real Madrid secured a spot in the Champions League last 16 by defeating Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
On Wednesday (February 19) at the Santiago Bernabéu, the home side extended their lead to three goals in the first half, thanks to a brace from the in-form Mbappé. The French forward completed his hat-trick in the second half and reached a milestone of contributing to 500 goals at the top level, becoming the youngest player ever to do so.
Mbappé opened the scoring just four minutes into the match. Real Madrid capitalized on a defensive error by City captain Rúben Dias, who failed to clear the ball properly with a header. Mbappe collected the loose ball and calmly lifted it over goalkeeper Ederson into the net. In the 33rd minute, he doubled the lead with a precise finish from close range after a cutback.
Just past the hour mark, the French World Cup winner completed his hat-trick. In the 61st minute, he drove a powerful left-footed shot into the net from the edge of the box. Mbappe's goal tally for Real Madrid now stands at 28 in 38 matches. Across club and country, he has scored 359 goals and provided 142 assists, contributing to a total of 501 goals in all competitions.
In stoppage time, Nicolas Gonzalez scored a consolation goal for Manchester City. Omar Marmoush's free-kick rebounded off the post, and González fired the rebound home to make it 3-1. With this result, Real Madrid advanced to the last 16. Their next opponent will be either Bayer Leverkusen or city rivals Atletico Madrid, with the draw set to be confirmed on Friday.
