Real Madrid player ratings vs Man City: Fede Valverde is unbelievable! Hat-trick hero delivers Champions League masterclass - but how costly will Vinicius Jr's penalty miss prove?

Federico Valverde turned in a Champions League performance for the ages, bagging a first-half hat-trick to lead Real Madrid to a comfortable 3-0 win in the first leg of their last 16 tie with Manchester City. The Uruguay international headlined a classic Madrid knockout performance, but a penalty miss from Vinicius Jr in the second half might have left the door open for a City comeback.

City were certainly the more dangerous of the two sides early on, and repeatedly exploited the Madrid right-hand side, only for the hosts to take the lead against the run of play. Thibaut Courtois pinged the ball into the path of Valverde, who strode past Nico O'Reilly, rounded Gianluigi Donnarumma, and slotted home.

He was at it again soon after; this time, Vinicius Jr was the architect, playing a clever ball into Valverde's path which the Madrid captain tucked into the far corner with his weaker left foot.

Valverde's third was the pick of the bunch, through, as he took three quick touches before volleying in a finish from close range to leave Marc Guehi in the dust.

It was almost four early in the second half when Brahim Diaz was allowed to surge through the middle near unchecked, but Donnarumma was equal to his effort. The City goalkeeper provided another big moment 10 minutes later, saving Vinicius' penalty after felling the Madrid forward- though the Brazilian's effort was relatively tame.

From there, Alvaro Arbeloa's side had plenty of defending to do. Antoine Semenyo was a constant threat for City, and forced a duo of fine saves off the excellent Courtois, while the Belgian provided another block soon after via an instinctive stop from O'Reilly. Otherwise, though, Madrid were happy to bunker in, and proved good value for the 3-0 win.

GOAL rates Madrid's players from the Bernabeu...

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Goalkeeper & Defence
Thibaut Courtois (8/10):
Played an outrageous pass to set up Valverde's first. Made some ridiculous saves to top it off.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (5/10):
A bit of a mixed bag. Had a really tough time against Doku early on, and though he had a few nice touches here and there, he is still very much finding his feet.
Antonio Rudiger (8/10):
Loves his battles with Haaland, and won this one. One goal-line clearance might yet be vital.
Dean Huijsen (6/10):
A bit less steady than his centre-back partner, but helped out against Semenyo.
Ferland Mendy (8/10):
Played a more or less faultless 45 minutes before being replaced at half-time. Lacking in fitness but full of quality.

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Midfield
Federico Valverde (10/10):
Hard to remember a more complete Champions League performance. Had scored thre goals in his previous 75 Champions League appearances, then bagged three in a 25-minute spell here. Chipped in defensively, too.
Arda Guler (7/10):
Not a game for tons of creativity, but his off-ball work was immense on the night. Fired narrowly wide in the second half.
Aurelien Tchouameni (8/10):
One of his best performances of the season. Held down the middle, forced City out wide, and passed it well. Jammed his foot on the hour mark and limped around thereafter.
Thiago Pitarch (7/10):
A solid shift in the middle. Involved in the build up to the third and was calm on the ball. Not quite there physically, but has a real composure about him.
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Attack
Brahim Diaz (8/10):
Did a lot of the necessary off-ball work, assisted Valverde, and was well-denied by Donnarumma. Effective in a more advanced role.
Vinicius Jr (7/10):
Set up the second with an incisive pass. Did pretty much everything right until he had his poor penalty saved. That miss might yet prove costly.

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Subs & Manager
Fran Garcia (7/10):
Thrown straight into the fire and did well on the left.
Eduardo Camavinga (7/10):
Injected some life into the Madrid midfield in the second half. So, so valuable off the bench.
Manuel Angel (7/10):
A vote of confidence for an academy kid, who turned in a solid 15 minutes.
Franco Mastantuono (N/A):
No time to make an impact. Has rather fallen out of the picture under the new manager.
Dani Carvajal (N/A):
Late legs, and a few solid defensive moments.
Alvaro Arbeloa (8/10):
Not much of a game for tactical genius, but he got a fine showing out of his team. Rather Ancelotti-esque from the Spaniard.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

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