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Even without a big of Galacticos, Real Madrid was acold excessively beardown for Manchester City successful the latest Champions League clash of these titans.
A 3-0 triumph astatine the Bernabeu connected Wednesday (March 12, 2026) enactment Madrid successful power of this round-of-16 necktie astatine the halfway people aft a stunning first-half chapeau instrumentality by Federico Valverde. The Uruguay planetary took connected the work of inspiring the grounds 15-time champion successful the lack of injured stars Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo.
"We are Real Madrid and you should ne'er see america dead,” Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa told broadcaster Movistar.
The triumph could person been adjacent much commanding, but Vinícius Júnior's casually taken second-half punishment was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain bushed Chelsea 5-2 and tiny Bodø/Glimt is besides successful show of the quarterfinals aft a 3-0 triumph implicit Sporting Lisbon.
Arsenal drew 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen.
Madrid masterclass
By fulltime astatine a rocking Bernabeu, the lone comfortableness City could cling to was the information that it could person been truthful overmuch worse.
When Vinícius stood implicit the shot connected the punishment spot soon earlier the hr mark, helium looked definite adhd to the lead. But the Brazil guardant skipped successful his run-up and deed a anemic side-footed effort that Donnarumma pushed away.
It volition inactive instrumentality a monolithic turnaround to spot City beforehand aft being outclassed by Madrid.
Valverde's chapeau instrumentality featured 3 outstanding goals. The prime of the batch was his 3rd erstwhile helium flicked the shot implicit the caput of City defender Marc Guehi earlier volleying home.
TV cameras caught Bellingham watching successful the stadium with his rima wide unfastened successful awe of the move.
City manager Pep Guardiola volition apt beryllium worrying that past is acceptable to repetition itself aft his squad was eliminated astatine the hands of Madrid successful each of the past 2 seasons.
“Our crippled was not arsenic atrocious arsenic this result,” Guardiola said. “I'm not idiosyncratic to accidental we are going to crook it round, but we volition try.”
PSG takes power against Chelsea
After losing to Chelsea successful the last of the Club World Cup past year, PSG got immoderate revenge.
A three-goal vantage aft the archetypal limb saw Luis Enrique's squad instrumentality a large measurement toward the past eight.
Chelsea had doubly leveled the game, but a mistake by goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen, who gave the shot distant connected the borderline of his container successful the 74th minute, allowed Vitinha to assistance a changeable into the unfastened net.
PSG substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored doubly much to permission Chelsea with a upland to ascent backmost astatine Stamford Bridge.
“This is our astir important infinitesimal successful the competition,” Luis Enrique said. "We'll effort to play the 2nd limb successful the aforesaid mode arsenic we did today. We'll effort to triumph the game. That's the champion mentality arsenic if we're reasoning astir defending our lead, it could beryllium a large mistake.”
No stopping Bodø/Glimt
Bodø/Glimt's fairytale tally conscionable keeps connected going. Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan person been near successful the tiny Norwegian club's wake. Now Sporting Lisbon's Champions League hopes are hanging by a thread.
Bodø/Glimt — located northbound of the Arctic Circle and farther northbound than immoderate squad successful Champions League past — took afloat vantage of playing the archetypal limb astatine location and led 2-0 astatine halftime done Sondre Fet's punishment and Ole Blomberg's extremity conscionable earlier the break.
Kasper Hogh scored successful the 71st to enactment his squad connected the brink of the adjacent round.
Bodø/Glimt was already the archetypal Norwegian squad to the beforehand to the knockout rounds of the Champions League and could present spell adjacent further.
Havertz haunts Leverkusen
Kai Havertz returned to haunt Bayer Leverkusen and seal a precocious gully for Arsenal.
The Germany planetary struck an 89th-minute punishment against the squad wherever helium started his vocation and leveled the round-of-16 archetypal limb necktie astatine BayArena.
“I cognize the stadium good and person taken galore penalties from this spot,” said Havertz, who near Leverkusen for Chelsea successful a $95 cardinal woody successful 2020.
Premier League starring Arsenal fell down connected Robert Andrich's extremity conscionable aft halftime. But Malik Tillman fouled Noni Madueke successful the box, and Havertz fired debased past Janis Blaswich from the spot.
“The clip betwixt the punishment whistle and the punishment footwear felt similar an eternity," Havertz said. “But successful the end, you person to beryllium mentally contiguous successful those moments.” Premier League dominance halted After dominating the league signifier of this year's tournament, Premier League teams were brought down to Earth successful the circular of 16.
All English teams neglect to registry wins
Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham each fell to dense defeats, portion Liverpool besides mislaid to Galatasaray.
In all, nary of England's six teams successful the knockouts won their archetypal leg, with Arsenal and Newcastle some picking up draws.
Arsenal volition beryllium favourite to flooded Leverkusen astatine location and Liverpool lone has to overturn a 1-0 shortage successful its 2nd limb astatine Anfield.
But City, Chelsea and Tottenham look large deficits, portion Newcastle travels to Camp Nou to play Barcelona.
