Manchester City’s Champions League campaign came to a tame conclusion at the Bernabeu as Kylian Mbappe’s brilliant hat-trick inspired holders Real Madrid to a comfortable victory and place in the last 16.
Pep Guardiola’s side were attempting to reverse a 3-2 deficit from the play-off first leg but this contest was effectively over after four minutes when Mbappe’s precise lob from Raul Asencio’s pass increased their advantage.
City, with Erling Haaland only fit enough for the bench, saw their plight worsen moments after Mbappe’s opener when they lost defender John Stones to injury.
And City’s earliest Champions League exit since they failed to get out of the group in 2012-13 edged closer when Mbappe showed brilliant close control to wrong-foot Josko Gvardiol before beating Ederson after 33 minutes.
The France forward’s third came just after the hour with a low shot as City subsided, barely laying a glove on Real all night as they were outclassed.
City pulled a goal back when Nico Gonzalez turned in his first goal for the club after Omar Marmoush’s free-kick hit the bar, but it was no consolation on a desperate night for the reigning Premier League champions.
It was a chastening experience for Guardiola, whose discomfort was particularly relished by Real’s fans because of his old Barcelona allegiances, as he faces a mammoth task to rebuild and restore City to Europe’s top table.
Guardiola suffers in Bernabeu cauldron
Guardiola admitted Manchester City would have to suffer at the Bernabeu – and no-one seemed to be suffering more than the man who must rebuild this fallen side after this dismal defeat.
City were dealt a bitter blow before kick-off when Haaland failed to recover fully from the knee injury he picked up against Newcastle United on Saturday, robbing his manager of his main attacking threat.
The concession of the early goal was the nightmare Guardiola must have feared, his despair flashed on the many giant screens surrounding this magnificent arena.
Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva did not have the legs to cope with Real’s energy and running in midfield, while Guardiola left Kevin de Bruyne on the bench after he failed to make an impact at Etihad Stadium.
Jude Bellingham cruised through the game, while Real keeper Thibaut Courtois was almost a spectator.
Abdukodir Khusanov had a tough night in an unfamiliar right-back role, Real making him a target for so many of their attacks. It was hard not to feel sympathy for the 20-year-old newcomer.
The manner of City’s defeat and elimination from the Champions League only confirmed what Guardiola surely already knows – that it is time to usher in a new era following the years of success.
Holders Real Madrid looking ominous
This is Real Madrid’s tournament. This is Real Madrid’s time of year.
The noises of appreciation that swept around the Bernabeu as Carlo Ancelotti’s holders dominated carried an ominous tone for every other contender aiming to stop Real claiming a 16th triumph in this tournament.
When Real lost 2-0 at Liverpool in November they looked laboured and off the pace, without Vinicius Junior and with Mbappe still finding his feet after his move to Madrid.
Here, Mbappe looked every inch the world-class operator he is, showing class and composure to lob Ederson for his first, then showing superb sleight of foot to bamboozle Gvardiol for his second.
The hat-trick goal crowned his perfect night, fully deserving the rapturous standing ovation he received when substituted 13 minutes from time.
Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Mbappe form an attacking triumvirate of the highest order that is a threat to any opponents they face and it was all too much for City, even more so after they lost Stones to injury after only seven minutes.
And, of course, watching it all from the sidelines was the Champions League’s history man, Ancelotti, who has been over this course and distance so successfully, a five-time winner as a coach. He knows how this particular job is done.
Real Madrid, the most successful and ruthless operators in the Champions League, look in the mood once more.
