Valverde Hat-Trick Leads Champions League Rout as English Clubs Struggle
Federico Valverde scored a first-half hat-trick as Real Madrid crushed Manchester City 3-0, while PSG thrashed Chelsea 5-2 and Bayern Munich demolished Atalanta 6-1 in Champions League last-16 first legs.
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Federico Valverde netted his first-ever Real Madrid hat-trick before halftime as the Spanish giants demolished Manchester City 3-0 at the Bernabéu on Tuesday, putting Pep Guardiola's side on the brink of elimination from the Champions League.
The Uruguayan midfielder converted all three of his first-half shots, according to BBC Sport and Al Jazeera. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admitted after the match that his team would "struggle to produce a second-leg comeback," telling reporters "it's not what we expected," BBC Sport reported.
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain routed Chelsea 5-2 in France, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scoring twice in the closing stages. Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior called it "a painful one," saying the team "need to be better" after conceding three late goals, BBC Sport reported. Chelsea's Pedro Neto later apologized for pushing over a ball boy during the defeat.
Bayern Munich put themselves firmly in control of their tie with a 6-1 thrashing of Atalanta in Bergamo. The German champions' dominant display leaves them strongly positioned to reach the quarter-finals ahead of next week's second leg.
Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 5-2 defeat at Atletico Madrid, with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky substituted after just 17 minutes with his team already 3-0 down. Liverpool lost 1-0 to Galatasaray in Istanbul, with Mario Lemina heading the only goal.
Arsenal salvaged a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen through Kai Havertz's late penalty against his former club, while Newcastle United were denied victory when Barcelona's Lamine Yamal converted a last-minute penalty to secure a 1-1 draw at St James' Park. Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt continued their Champions League fairytale with a 3-0 victory over Sporting CP, extending their winning streak to five consecutive matches in the competition.
The results mark a difficult week for Premier League clubs in European competition, with BBC Sport's Phil McNulty examining what he called "a rude awakening in Europe" for England's elite teams.