Pep Guardiola's team never got into the game in Madrid. While Real made the most of their chances, Manchester City remained harmless in attack - even Erling Haaland hardly came into his own.
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- Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-0 in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, with captain Federico Valverde scoring a hat-trick in the first half.
- The Cityzens were very disappointing in attack, Erling Haaland failed to score and the team lost control of the game early on.
- Coach Pep Guardiola and his tactics came under criticism in the English press after the clear defeat.
Wednesday evening saw the eagerly awaited clash between two European heavyweights in Madrid: Real hosted Manchester City - as so often in the past. There have been 15 matches between these two teams in the last 14 years, with the English side winning the last meeting in the league phase in December 2:1.
In the past four seasons, Real and City have always met in the knockout round of the Champions League. The record winners from the Spanish capital have prevailed three times - including last year, when they met in the play-offs.
This time, however, the form and personnel situation seemed to speak in favor of the Cityzens. While Madrilenian superstar Kylian Mbappé had been missing for two weeks due to knee problems, Pep Guardiola could once again count on the services of Erling Haaland. The Norwegian was recently rested in the Cup.
Bernardo Silva: "High price paid"
However, the Whites made things clear in the first half. Real captain Federico Valverde put his team on the road to victory early on with a hat-trick (20th minute/27th/42nd). Only once before had ManCity trailed 3-0 after 45 minutes in the top flight (against Liverpool in 2018). Haaland was practically invisible in the first half - only nine ball actions for the star striker.
"After we conceded the first goal, we were completely out of it emotionally. We lost ourselves in this stadium. That's always difficult. We lost control and lost the second balls. When you do that against a team with the quality of Real, you pay a high price for it,' said Bernardo Silva.
Vinicius Junior could even have made it 4-0 after the break, but was denied by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with a penalty (57'). In the end, the harmless City stars were well served by conceding three goals. And Haaland did not score once.
Press attack Guardiola
In the end, City's weakness on the road left little reason for hope. The chances of turning around the deficit in the second leg are "not particularly good", as Guardiola admits. "I'm not the type to say we'll do it, but of course we'll try," said the 55-year-old Spaniard, adding: "It's more difficult to change our attitude, but we'll try with our fans to be better and more active in the final third."
The English press (via "Ran") is also taking aim at the coach after the humiliation: "Guardiola's tactics are completely wrong as City are torn to shreds", writes the "Telegraph".
The Daily Mail says: "Pep Guardiola must be sitting in the away dressing room wondering what the hell he's just seen. I bet even he didn't expect the first leg to end like that. That was Guardiola's heaviest defeat in the first leg of a Champions League knockout round, along with the 3-0 defeats to Barcelona in the 2014/15 semi-finals and Liverpool in the 2017/18 quarter-finals."
