Manchester City entered the Santiago Bernabéu with hopes of mounting a comeback, but instead, they were handed a ruthless reality check. A Kylian Mbappe hat-trick sealed Real Madrid’s place in the next round, exposing City as a shadow of their former selves. Once a team that functioned like an unstoppable machine, they now looked fragile and lifeless, their Champions League campaign and perhaps even an era coming to an unceremonious end.
City needed just one goal to spark a revival, but by the time they found the net through Nico Gonzalez in the final moments, it was meaningless. The game had long been lost. A ghost of their past selves, they were left to watch Madrid toy with them, their own fans responding with ironic cheers as the last-minute goal found the net. The scoreline stood at 3-1 on the night, 6-2 on aggregate, and City’s hopes had vanished almost as soon as the match had begun.
Madrid were dominant from the outset, reaffirming their status as contenders for the trophy they consider their own. The elegance and ease with which Mbappé performed only underscored the gulf between the two teams. Federico Valverde, deployed as a makeshift right-back, looked like one of the best in the world in that position. Rodrygo, often overlooked in discussions about Madrid’s attack, delivered yet another scintillating display. Even youth player Raúl Asencio made his mark, providing the pass that set the tone for City’s downfall. The only blemish on an otherwise perfect night for Madrid was Jude Bellingham’s booking, ruling him out of the first leg of their last-16 tie against either Bayer Leverkusen or Atlético Madrid.
For City, the most merciful aspect of the night was that it finally put an end to a miserable campaign. Once feared across Europe, they had become defensively vulnerable, conceding heavily against PSG, Sporting, and Feyenoord. Against Madrid, they could barely last four minutes before their weaknesses were laid bare.
The game had barely begun when Asencio launched a ball over the top of City’s defense. Rúben Dias hesitated, allowing it to bounce, while John Stones failed to react. Ederson rushed forward but was easily beaten as Mbappé lifted the ball over him with effortless precision. Four minutes in, City’s dream was already dead.
A brief moment of promise arrived when Josko Gvardiol had a shot blocked by Aurélien Tchouaméni, but it was a rare sighting of City in attack. They barely registered as a threat, failing to control possession or create chances. Madrid, meanwhile, operated at their own pace, accelerating only when necessary. Every time they decided to press forward, City had no answer.
Vinícius Júnior tormented Abdukodir Khusanov, whose inexperience was painfully evident. Rodrygo ghosted past Ilkay Gündogan with ease. Mbappé had a couple of shots deflected. Vinícius effortlessly turned Khusanov inside out on the halfway line. Gündogan’s frustration boiled over when he hacked down Rodrygo, a moment that summed up City’s struggles. Meanwhile, Madrid’s second goal arrived in a fashion just as effortless as the first.
Tchouaméni floated a delightful pass over the defense to Mbappé, who was denied by Ederson at first. But moments later, Madrid struck again. Vinícius found Rodrygo at the edge of the box, and as Khusanov hesitated, the ball was slipped through his legs. Mbappé stepped inside, sending Gvardiol to the floor before slotting home coolly.
Now needing three goals just to stay in the tie, City still couldn’t muster a meaningful response. A single shot might have at least signaled some fight, but they had none. Instead, Madrid struck again. This time, Mbappé cut inside and fired a clean, low shot past Ederson, sealing his hat-trick with an air of inevitability.
With thirty minutes still to play, Madrid eased off, fully in control, while City simply went through the motions, knowing their fate had already been sealed. The late goal from González barely registered—a mere footnote in a night that belonged entirely to Madrid.
By the time the final whistle blew, it was clear: this was not just the end of a Champions League run for City, but the possible conclusion of an era.
