Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as holders Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off, Afrosport reports.
The Frenchman took his season tally to 27 goals with three sublime finishes as Los Blancos won 6-3 on aggregate to reach the Champions League last 16, sending City packing from Europe’s premier competition.
Mbappé hat-trick ⚽⚽⚽#UCL pic.twitter.com/SquHPdq8FQ
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 19, 2025
The hosts got in front early on as Mbappe broke the deadlock with a beautiful lob in the fourth minute. The 26-year-old latched onto a pass from Raul Asencio before finishing past the onrushing Ederson.
He got his second of the game three minutes after the half-hour mark with another brilliant finish into the bottom corner. After a brilliant sweeping move by Madrid, Rodrygo found Mbappe, who beat Josko Gvardiol with superb footwork before slotting the ball calmly into the back of the net.
The Madrid No. 9 completed his hat-trick in the 61st minute with a left-footed low strike into the far bottom corner of Ederson’s goal, taking his tally to seven goals in 10 games in the competition this season.
City, however, drew one back as January signing Nico Gonzalez got his first goal for the club, tapping the ball into an empty net after Omar Marmoush’s initial free-kick effort ricocheted off the crossbar.
The Premier League club suffered their 13th defeat of the season, the most a Pep Guardiola side has ever lost in a single campaign. The Spanish tactician also witnessed his side fail to reach the Champions League round of 16 for the first time in his managerial career.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, maintained their impeccable knockout record in the competition, as they are currently unbeaten in each of their last nine matches in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
The 15-time European champions will face either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16 draw set for Friday.
