Champions League: Real Madrid thrash Man City, PSG edge Chelsea, Arsenal hold Leverkusen

A convincing 3–0 win at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Wednesday put Madrid firmly in control of the round-of-16 tie at the halfway stage. Federico Valverde was the star of the night, scoring a stunning first-half hat trick.The victory could have been even more commanding, but Vinicius Junior'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 show their class in dominant victoryBy the final whistle at a roaring Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the only small relief for Manchester City was that the scoreline was not even worse.

Just before the hour mark, Vinicius Junior had a great chance to extend Real Madrid’s lead from the penalty spot. The Brazilian forward tried a slow run-up but ended up striking a weak shot, which goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma managed to push away.Federico Valverde’s hat trick included three excellent goals. His third was the standout moment — he cleverly flicked the ball over City defender Marc Guehi before smashing a volley into the net.

The Uruguay midfielder stepped up in a big way, especially with key players Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Rodrygo missing due to injuries, guiding the record 15-time European champions to a dominant victory."We are Real Madrid and you should never consider us dead,” Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa told broadcaster Movistar.City manager Pep Guardiola will be concerned that history might repeat itself, as Madrid has knocked his team out of the UEFA Champions League in each of the last two seasons.“Our game was not as bad as this result,” Guardiola said. “I’m not someone to say we are going to turn it round, but we will try.”PSG gains upper hand against ChelseaA strong first-leg performance gave Luis Enrique’s team a three-goal advantage and put them in a strong position to reach the quarterfinals.Chelsea had managed to equalise twice during the match, but a costly mistake from goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen changed the game in the 74th minute. He lost the ball near the edge of his penalty area, allowing Vitinha to calmly chip the ball into an empty net.Substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia then added two more goals for PSG, leaving Chelsea with a very difficult task in the return leg at Stamford Bridge.“This is our most important moment in the competition,” Luis Enrique said. "We’ll try to play the second leg in the same way as we did today. We’ll try to win the game. That’s the best mentality as if we’re thinking about defending our lead, it could be a big mistake.”Bodø/Glimt’s remarkable run in UCL continuesThe small Norwegian club has already knocked out big teams like Manchester City, Atlético Madrid, and Inter Milan.

Now Sporting CP is the latest side struggling to keep its Champions League hopes alive.Playing the first leg at home, Bodø/Glimt — a club based north of the Arctic Circle and the northernmost team ever to compete in the tournament — made the most of the advantage. They went 2–0 up by halftime, with Sondre Fet scoring from the penalty spot and Ole Blomberg adding another goal just before the break.Kasper Høgh then scored in the 71st minute to strengthen their lead and move the team closer to the next round.Bodø/Glimt had already made history by becoming the first Norwegian club to reach the Champions League knockout stage, and their dream run could still go even further.Havertz haunts LeverkusenKai Havertz returned to haunt Bayer Leverkusen and seal a late draw for Arsenal.The Germany international struck an 89th-minute penalty against the team where he started his career and leveled the round-of-16 first leg tie at BayArena.“I know the stadium well and have taken many penalties from this spot,” said Havertz, who left Leverkusen for Chelsea in a $95 million deal in 2020.Premier League leading Arsenal fell behind on Robert Andrich's goal just after halftime. But Malik Tillman fouled Noni Madueke in the box, and Havertz fired low past Janis Blaswich from the spot.“The time between the penalty whistle and the penalty kick felt like an eternity," Havertz said.

“But in the end, you have to be mentally present in those moments.”Premier League dominance haltedAfter performing strongly in the league phase of this season’s UEFA Champions League, teams from the Premier League struggled in the round of 16.Manchester City, Chelsea FC, and Tottenham Hotspur all suffered heavy defeats in their first-leg matches. Liverpool FC also lost to Galatasaray S.K..Overall, none of England’s six teams in the knockout stage managed to win their first leg. Arsenal FC and Newcastle United F.C. were the only teams that avoided defeat, as both matches ended in draws.