Federico Valverde scored a first-half hat-trick to guide Real Madrid to a commanding 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

The Uruguayan midfielder opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after controlling a long pass from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Valverde moved past Nico O’Reilly before beating goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with a clinical finish.

He doubled Real Madrid’s lead just five minutes later when a deflected pass fell to him inside the City penalty area. Valverde took a touch before firing a left-footed shot across Donnarumma.

Valverde completed his hat-trick in the 42nd minute, latching onto a pass from Brahim Diaz. He flicked the ball past Marc Guehi and finished from close range to give the hosts a comfortable lead before halftime.

Manchester City had started brightly, with Jeremy Doku causing problems down the left flank and Bernardo Silva narrowly missing the target. However, Valverde’s opening goal shifted the momentum in Real Madrid’s favour.

City coach Pep Guardiola made changes after the break, introducing Tijjani Reijnders for Savinho, while Fran Garcia replaced the injured Ferland Mendy for Real Madrid.

Both sides created chances in the second half, but neither could add to the scoreline. Vinicius Jr missed a good opportunity for Madrid, while Courtois denied O’Reilly and Antonio Rudiger made a crucial intervention to stop Erling Haaland.

Real Madrid now head into the return leg with a strong advantage after a dominant first-leg performance.