Pep Guardiola’s team faced a disappointing early exit, failing to challenge the dominant 15-time champions until Nico Gonzalez scored a consolation goal in stoppage time. Mbappe opened the scoring with a lob just four minutes into the match and added a second goal after a well-coordinated play with his teammates, slicing through the English defense.
The French forward, who has found his rhythm after a slow start at Madrid, completed his hat-trick in the second half with a precise low shot from the edge of the area, bringing his tally to seven goals in this season's competition across 10 matches. City, the reigning champions from 2023, were far from their best, a trend that has persisted throughout their current campaign.
Guardiola received disappointing news prior to the match, as Erling Haaland, who scored twice in the first leg, was relegated to the bench due to a knock sustained against Newcastle. In contrast, Real Madrid welcomed back Antonio Rudiger from injury, who integrated smoothly into the defense, while Aurelien Tchouameni returned to his favored midfield position.
Carlo Ancelotti’s squad executed a nearly flawless first half, taking the lead early on. Mbappe evaded Ruben Dias and delicately lifted the ball over City goalkeeper Ederson after young center-back Raul Asencio set him up with a long pass.
The visitors suffered another setback when John Stones limped off shortly after. Fede Valverde's shot was narrowly deflected wide, and Ederson made a save from Mbappe after Tchouameni sent him racing toward goal with another well-placed ball.
Fantastic Four
In the 33rd minute, Mbappe scored his second goal, benefiting from a brilliant combination play among Madrid’s “fantastic four.” Jude Bellingham passed to Vinicius, who then rolled the ball across to Rodrygo, setting up Mbappe for the finish.
The former Paris Saint-Germain striker cut inside, leaving Josko Gvardiol off balance and sliding in the wrong direction, before striking decisively at the near post.
Pep Guardiola had stated that City had merely a “one percent chance” of overcoming Madrid, and his players seemed to embody that belief in their performance.
The only blemish on Madrid's performance was a yellow card issued to Bellingham for a foul on his England teammate Phil Foden, resulting in a suspension for the first leg of the last 16.
Bellingham, who had recently made headlines for being sent off for dissent in La Liga, displayed composure in midfield, but the evening was dominated by Mbappe.
The 26-year-old completed his hat-trick with a brilliant individual effort shortly after the hour mark, creating space at the edge of the box and firing a shot past Ederson as City’s defense hesitated.
Mbappe left the pitch to a standing ovation, while Madrid continued to generate opportunities in his absence but failed to convert, as the home supporters reveled in their team's comfortable victory over an opponent with whom they have had many closely contested matches over the past decade.
The visitors managed to score a consolation goal in stoppage time when Omar Marmoush struck a free-kick against the crossbar, and Gonzalez tapped in the rebound, but it provided little solace.
City has now suffered 13 defeats in their last 26 matches across all competitions and will face Premier League leaders Liverpool next Sunday, as they strive to secure a top-four finish.
In contrast, Madrid remains in contention for three major titles, and with Mbappe in such outstanding form, they are optimistic about their chances of winning all of them. Their next challenge in the last 16 will be against either city rivals Atletico or German champions Bayer Leverkusen.