Even stripped of several Galacticos, Real Madrid still proved far too strong for Manchester City in the latest Champions League showdown between the European heavyweights.
A commanding 3-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday handed Madrid firm control of the round-of-16 tie at the midway point, powered by a stunning first-half hat trick from Federico Valverde.
With injured stars Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo sidelined, the Uruguay international stepped up to carry the 15-time European champion.
"We are Real Madrid. You should never think we are finished,” Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa told broadcaster Movistar after the match.
The scoreline might have been even harsher for City. Vinicius Junior had the chance to extend the lead in the second half, but his casually struck penalty was comfortably saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain beat Chelsea 5-2, and tiny Bodo/Glimt is also in sight of the quarterfinals after a 3-0 win over Sporting Lisbon.
Arsenal drew 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen.
By full time at a rocking Bernabeu, the only comfort City could cling to was that it could have been much worse.
When Vinicius stood over the ball on the penalty spot shortly before the hour mark, he looked certain to add to the lead. But the Brazil forward skipped in his run-up and hit a weak side-footed effort that Donnarumma pushed away.
It will still take a massive turnaround for City to advance after being outclassed by Madrid.
Valverde’s hat trick featured three outstanding goals. The pick of the lot was his third, when he flicked the ball over the head of City defender Marc Guehi before volleying home.
TV cameras caught Bellingham watching in the stands with his mouth wide open in awe of the move.
City manager Pep Guardiola will likely worry that history is set to repeat itself after his team was eliminated by Madrid 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 around, but we will try.”
After losing to Chelsea in the final of the Club World Cup last year, PSG got some revenge.
A three-goal advantage after the first leg saw coach Luis Enrique’s team take a big step toward the last eight.
Chelsea had twice leveled the game, but a mistake by goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, who gave the ball away on the edge of his box in the 74th minute, allowed Vitinha to lift a shot into the open net.
PSG substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice more to leave Chelsea with a mountain to climb back at Stamford Bridge.
"This is our most important moment in the competition,” Luis Enrique said. "We’ll try to play the second leg the same way we did today. We’ll try to win the game. That’s the best mentality. If we start thinking about defending our lead, it could be a big mistake.”
Bodo/Glimt’s fairytale run just keeps going.
Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan have been left in the tiny Norwegian club’s wake. Now Sporting Lisbon’s Champions League hopes are hanging by a thread.
Bodo/Glimt, located north of the Arctic Circle and farther north than any team in Champions League history, took full advantage of playing the first leg at home and led 2-0 at halftime through Sondre Fet’s penalty and Ole Blomberg’s goal just before the break.
Kasper Hogh scored in the 71st minute to put his team on the brink of the next round.
Bodo/Glimt was already the first Norwegian team to advance to the knockout rounds of the Champions League and could now go even further.
Kai Havertz returned to haunt Bayer Leverkusen and seal a late draw for Arsenal.
The Germany international struck an 89th-minute penalty against the club 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.”
After dominating the league phase of this year’s tournament, Premier League teams were brought down to earth in the round of 16.
City, Chelsea and Tottenham all fell to heavy defeats, while Liverpool also lost to Galatasaray.
In all, none of England’s six teams in the knockouts won their first leg, with Arsenal and Newcastle both picking up draws.
Arsenal will be favored to overcome Leverkusen at home, and Liverpool only has to overturn a 1-0 deficit in its second leg at Anfield.
But City, Chelsea and Tottenham face big deficits, while Newcastle travels to Camp Nou to face Barcelona.