Safety Valve: Valverde’s treble puts City in trouble

Madrid: Even without a host of Galacticos, Real Madrid were far too strong for Manchester City in the latest Champions League clash of these titans.

A 3-0 win at the Bernabeu on Wednesday put Madrid in control of this Round-of-16 tie at the halfway mark after a stunning first-half hat-trick by Federico Valverde. The Uruguay international took on the responsibility of inspiring the record 15-time champions in the absence of injured stars Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo.

“We are Real Madrid and you should never consider us dead,” Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa told broadcaster Movistar.

The victory could have been even more commanding, but Vinícius Júnior’s casually taken second-half penalty was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain beat Chelsea 5-2 and tiny Bodø/Glimt is also in sight of the quarterfinals after a 3-0 win over Sporting Lisbon. Arsenal drew 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen.

Madrid masterclass

By fulltime at a rocking Bernabeu, the only comfort City could cling to was the fact that it could have been so much worse.

When Vinícius stood over the ball on the penalty spot shortly before the hour mark, he looked certain add to the lead. But the Brazil forward skipped in his run-up and hit a weak side-footed effort that Donnarumma pushed away.agencies