"A frantic opening 20 minutes saw City pile on the pressure, but against the run of play, Thibaut Courtois' punt upfield caught out Nico O'Reilly, with Valverde capitalising to round Gianluigi Donnarumma and side-foot home. Valverde doubled up seven minutes later, taking Vinicius Junior's deflected pass into his path and drilling a left-footed strike beyond Donnarumma."
"The Madrid captain saved the best for last, though, as he latched onto a delicate lob from former Man City playmaker Brahim Diaz, deftly lifting a touch over Marc Guehi and volleying in from point-blank range."
"Valverde is only the second player to score a first-half hat-trick against an English opponent in the Champions League. The other was Lionel Messi for Barcelona against Arsenal in April 2010."
Real Madrid dominated Manchester City in the Champions League last-16 first leg at Santiago Bernabeu, winning 3-0 with Federico Valverde delivering an exceptional performance. Valverde scored a hat-trick within 22 minutes of the first half, capitalizing on City's defensive vulnerabilities despite City's early pressure. The first goal came from a Courtois clearance that caught out O'Reilly, followed by a clinical finish from Vinicius Junior's deflected pass. Valverde completed his hat-trick with a volley from Brahim Diaz's lob. Madrid, playing without injured Kylian Mbappe, controlled the match throughout. City had a penalty in the second half but Vinicius sent it straight at Donnarumma. City must overturn a substantial deficit in the return leg to progress.
Read at Soccer News
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