Before the game between Real Madrid and Manchester City this Wednesday (11), Spanish newspapers reported with some fanfare that there were still tickets on sale for all sectors of the Santiago Bernabéu, a rare fact when it comes to a home team match in the UEFA Champions League. With absences and experiencing a moment of fluctuation in the season, the white team left their fans suspicious.
In 42 minutes, Uruguayan Federico Valverde removed the crisis that hovered over the squad led by Álvaro Arbeloa. For the first time in his career, the midfielder scored three goals in the same match and led Real Madrid to a 3-0 victory.
Named as favorites in the clash by the European press, the team led by Pep Guardiola now needs to at least return the difference in the second leg, next Tuesday (17), in Manchester, to take the dispute to extra time. Real Madrid could even lose by two goals and, even so, it would still be in the quarter-finals.
This Wednesday’s result is also surprising due to the absences of the Madrid team, especially the absence of its main scorer, Frenchman Kylian Mbappé. It was up to Federico Valverde to take over that role, finding the net in the 20th, 27th and 42nd minutes of the first half. In the final stage, Vinícius Júnior even wasted a penalty that could have resulted in a rout in the match.
In Norway, Bodø/Glimt, this edition’s sensation, also took an important step towards advancing to the next stage by beating Sporting 3-0. The return game will be next Tuesday (17), in Lisbon.
In France, defending champion Paris Saint-Germain won 5-2 at Chelsea and is another with a leg in the quarter-finals. The only open confrontation between the duels played this Wednesday is the dispute between Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen. In Germany, the teams tied 1-1. The return will be in London.
