FESTIVAL B UNPLUGGED
Kylian Mbappé! Kylian Mbappé! Well, sang the Real Madrid faithful as the French captain nailed a hattrick against England’s Manchester City in that nail-biting 3-1 second-leg victory of the Los Blancos.
Seeing Kylian Mbappé net three on Champions League night was like a mother seeing her toddler taking the very first few steps of his life.
Let’s talk about the spectacle that took place on the hallowed turf of Santiago Bernabéu – a night that has, without question, been branded as one of Kylian Mbappé’s crowning moments. No, not just a crowning moment – the crowning moment.
I mean, let’s be real here, when you score a hat trick to dump the one-time champions of the Champions League (and the team everyone thought was about to create the next football dynasty) out of the
tournament, you’re writing a chapter of history that will be recited to the next generation of football fans with the same enthusiasm and respect as any ancient Greek myth. Ahem – let me clarify, it was not only his hat trick that deserves applause.
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Mbappé’s entire performance was a lesson in footballing artistry, and with it, he not only propelled Real Madrid to the Round of 16 but quite possibly delivered a resounding “goodbye” to Manchester City’s dreams of adding another European star to their collection.
“I have always said I didn’t come here simply to complete a dream,” said Mbappé, a boyhood Madrid fan who never won a Champions League at Monaco and PSG. “I want to play well; I want to mark an era.”
Mbappé made it look easy. So easy that at times you almost had to wonder if he wasn’t playing a different sport than the rest of the mere mortals on that pitch. His first goal, a delicate lob over City goalkeeper Ederson, was a beauty.
A first-time strike that made you wonder, “Did he just do that?” It was the kind of goal that only players with the precision of a sniper and the composure of a chess grandmaster could even think about attempting, let alone pulling off. And yet, there was Mbappé, cool as a cucumber, staring Ederson in the face and then lobbing him like it was Tuesday night in the park.
The game progressed and Mbappé’s second was a near-perfect encapsulation of what makes him such a unique talent. He left Manchester City’s Joško Gvardiol for dead. I mean, Gvardiol didn’t just get left behind – he got left in a different postcode. That low shot after watching Gvardiol slip into oblivion?
A goal of rare quality – one that almost made you feel bad for the poor defender. Almost. It was as if Mbappé had some kind of secret superpower that allowed him to move faster, think quicker, and finish better than the rest of the football world combined. I can practically hear City fans’ hearts breaking with each of his goals.
But it was the third goal that had me shake my head in disbelief. A powerful left-footed strike from the edge of the box that managed to bypass not one, not two, but six Manchester City players – yes, six. How does one man manage to do all this while essentially defying the laws of physics? How is this allowed? Are we sure this isn’t some sort of simulation that the world is running on?
If you had six defenders surrounding you and a goalkeeper about as intimidating as a teddy bear, would you have calmly slotted it into the corner of the net like Mbappé did? I certainly would not. And therein lies the magic of his performance.
“This has been the complete performance – attack, defence, with the ball and without the ball, we showed such high levels of quality,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “Almost the perfect night.”
Now, let’s talk about the spectacle of not having Erling Haaland in the picture for Manchester City. Oh, what a sight it was. Don’t get me wrong – Haaland is a monster, an absolute beast of a forward. But where was he when his team needed him most? Oh, right – on the bench, injured, and helpless.
It was almost as if Manchester City had been set adrift on a sea of mediocrity, desperately searching for something – anything – to latch onto as a lifeline.
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Haaland’s knee injury meant that City had to go without their prolific striker. And what happened next? They were steamrolled by Mbappé and Real Madrid like a group of amateur footballers at a Sunday league match.
Without Haaland’s goals and presence on the field, City was reduced to a mere shadow of the powerhouse they’ve so desperately tried to become. A shadow that looked like it had lost its way in the thick fog of Madrid’s brilliance.
But wait – there’s more! Let’s talk about the “larger-than-life” manager on the sideline – Pep Guardiola. Oh, Pep. There he was, wringing his hands and staring anxiously at the pitch, hoping for a miracle that simply wasn’t coming. As the minutes ticked by, I almost imagined the poor guy pleading with the footballing gods for some divine intervention.
But even the gods have their limits, and City’s squad seemed completely devoid of the spark and fire that characterized their previous European campaigns.
With Rodri missing, De Bruyne underperforming, and the glaring absence of Haaland, Guardiola’s team seemed more like a confused bunch of talented players rather than the finely tuned machine we’ve all come to know and fear.
And who did they have to thank for their premature exit? Kylian Mbappé, the boy who was playing his game and leaving the rest to scramble for the scraps.
One can only wonder how Guardiola must have felt witnessing this. The same man who’s orchestrated some of the most memorable football moments in recent memory, now watching his team crumble at the hands of a single player.
Meanwhile, in Paris, PSG was doing what PSG does best: dominate with flair while making their opponents look as though they’d wandered into the wrong stadium.
A 7-0 win against Brest is what you might call a “statement victory.” Into the last 16, where they will play either Liverpool FC or FC Barcelona.
But let’s not kid ourselves here – Brest never had a chance. When you’re watching a team like PSG turn their game into a highlight reel, you almost forget that there’s a “real” competition going on.
But I digress – PSG, for all their apparent dominance, still doesn’t have the same Champions League pedigree as Real Madrid. And it is Madrid, after all, that has usurped Manchester City and stamped their ticket to the next round with the poise of a seasoned champion.
Which brings me to my ultimate point: Kylian Mbappé is on a mission. His hat trick against Manchester City wasn’t just about individual brilliance; it was about the message he was sending to the football world. A message that says, “I came to Real Madrid not to be part of the crowd, but to lead it.” And if that statement wasn’t clear before, it is now.
So, as we turn our eyes to the next round, let’s take a moment to appreciate the true greatness of this man. Not only has he proved his worth against the best of the best, but he’s done it with such grace, power, and finesse that even the most cynical of football fans (yes, I’m talking to you) can’t help but sit back and acknowledge the genius at work.
Another nail-biting fixture was PSV Eindhoven who ousted Juventus in the only one of the eight playoffs this week that went to extra time.
Defender Ryan Flamingo scored in the 98th minute for a 3-1 win on the night and 4-3 on aggregate. United States international Timothy Weah scored for Juventus. “Honestly, we slipped up,” Weah said. “I felt like they were more aggressive on the night, and we lacked a bit of aggression and hunger.”
In the early game Wednesday, Borussia Dortmund started with a 3-0 lead at home to Sporting Lisbon and was barely stretched in a 0-0 draw. Sporting’s Champions League campaign imploded after coach Ruben Amorim left for Manchester United in November.
With Ruben Amorim as coach, Sporting was unbeaten in four Champions League games and stood second in the 36-team standings. The team he left behind went winless in six Champions League games under two different coaches.
Real Madrid, PSG, Dortmund and PSV join Bayern Munich, Benfica, Club Brugge and Feyenoord, which all advanced Tuesday, as playoff round winners who will be unseeded teams in Friday’s draw. They will host the first-leg games on March 4-5.
The top eight in the 36-team standings three weeks ago — Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, Aston Villa — skipped the playoffs round and are seeded in the round of 16 draw.
They host second legs on March 11-12. The round of 16 is in a new, tennis-like seeded bracket for the knockout stage in the expanded competition format.