Champions League: Valverde hat-trick sinks Man City, Kvaratskhelia downs Chelsea

Uruguayan Federico Valverde, captain of Real Madrid, signed one of the best performances by a midfielder in the history of the UEFA Champions League: three goals (golazos) in the first half to sink Manchester City of Pep Guardiola and Erling Haaland, who once again put in a disappointing performance against the Merengues.

In addition to his goals, the latter brilliant in terms of technique and striking, Valverde put in a display with and without the ball that propelled Arbeloa's side to round off their best performance of the season.

It was at 20', after a complicated start to the game, when Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, a solid performer, launched a long ball for Valverde, who started from the right with freedom to step into central areas. With O'Rilley in doubt, chosen by Guardiola to defend the left flank, the Uruguayan controlled the ball perfectly forward and, launched at speed, beat the late and erroneous exit of Donnarumma, who avoided contacting the ball with his hand, believing he was outside the big area. With the Italian already beaten and the goal at his pleasure, Valverde only had to kick the ball into the net and lift Bernabéu stadium, which turned into a madhouse in a matter of seconds.

From then on, City were a sinking ship inch by inch as Madrid hammered their bottom hull.

At 27' Vinicius Jr., who single-handedly led the White attack in the absence of Frenchman Mbappé, quickly began to make himself an axis on the left and managed to connect with Valverde on a clearance that unsettled the citizen defense. With the space gained and enough time to define, the Uruguayan controlled in an oriented way and beat Donnarumma with a left-footed shot, confirming a great night for the Merengues captain.

Guardiola, who sent only two midfielders (Rodri and Silva) in a 4-2-4 formation, was being outplayed by a rookie, Arbeloa, who populated the midfield with a mix of players with good feet and physical deployment. Tchouaméni, Valverde, Díaz, Guler, and young Pitarch, the five men in the midfield, undoubtedly imposed themselves and destroyed Pep's approach, which he tried in vain to exploit the back of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was well surrounded by his teammates.

Already 2-0 down and the game in Madrid's territory, the City was an accumulation of mistakes, nervousness, and little offensive creativity. The icing on the cake was a goal by his own executioner, Valverde, who, to close his masterpiece, launched himself unmarked in the area; received a beautiful pass from Brahím Díaz; got Guéhi off his back with a control/sombrerito; and, finally, beat Donnarumma with a perfect volley.

It was 3-0, the final result, a short result even, as Madrid could have, at the feet of Vinicius, definitively sealed the tie with a penalty in the second half. However, Donnarumma, who suffered in the first half, managed to stop the penalty and keep alive, if anything, the few hopes of a sinking City that will have to appeal to the epic at home.

PSG condemn Chelsea

At the Parc des Princes, at the same time, the other highlight of the day was played: PSG vs. Chelsea. The Parisians, favorites to repeat the championship, had a complex procedure that was not reflected on the scoreboard thanks to the great entry of one of their stars, Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

The first half, even, was full of French goals: Barcola and Dembele, the golden ball, scored for the home side while, for the London club, full-back Malo Gusto scored after a masterful pass from Argentine Enzo Fernandez, who had his first big European night with Chelsea despite the defeat.

It was Fernandez himself, in the 57th minute, who made it 2-2 at a time when the Londoners dominated and complicated PSG's possessions, which were not put in a great collective performance.

However, at 63', with the entry of Kvaratskhelia, who took over the Parisian offensive baton in a matter of minutes.

First, a glaring error: goalkeeper Jorgensen, with a very bad pass, left his defense beaten and ended up seeing the Portuguese Vitinha make it 3-2 with a perfect lob.

Chelsea, who could have equalized, were thwarted by an offside call by Enzo Fernandez, who had set up Joao Pedro's 3-3, which was eventually disallowed.

Kvaratskhelia then put the Londoners in the driver's seat, first with a stunning strike in the 86th minute and then with a goal at the very end of the game. Chelsea, who had stood up, went from 3-2 to 5-2 in less than ten minutes, practically saying goodbye to the European dream.

Arsenal "salvage" a controversial draw and Bodo continue to surprise

The other two results of the day featured Bayer Leverkusen vs Arsenal and Bodo/Glimt of Norway vs Sporting Lisbon.

The Premier League's Gunners were comprehensively dominated by Leverkusen, who came close to snatching a first-leg win thanks to a goal from captain Andrich. However, in the 89th minute, a controversial penalty on Madueke allowed Havertz to grab the equalizer that leaves Arsenal in a good position to advance to the next round on their home turf.

Finally, Bodo, the surprise club that eliminated Inter Milan and qualified for the knockout rounds after beating the likes of City and Atletico Madrid,continued to shock the world by dismissing Sporting Lisbon 3-0, a result that leaves them with a foot and a half in the quarterfinals.