Erling Haaland Injured, Real Madrid Defeats Manchester City
The Champions League playoffs have seen several top teams advance to the round of 16, with Real Madrid, PSG, Dortmund, and PSV joining Bayern Munich, Benfica, Club Brugge, and Feyenoord. The injury to Erling Haaland was a significant blow to Manchester City, and the team's chances of advancing were severely impacted. The round of 16 draw promises to be exciting, with several top teams facing off against each other.
Real Madrid secured a 6-3 aggregate victory over Manchester City in the Champions League playoff, with Kylian Mbappé scoring a hat-trick, while Erling Haaland was unable to play due to an injury, and Manchester City's injury-hit side struggled to match the quality of Real Madrid.
The match saw Mbappé's goals come in the 4th, 33rd, and 61st minutes, eliminating Manchester City from the competition. Manchester City's injury-hit side, missing Ballon d'Or winner Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne, was no match for Real Madrid's quality. The injury to Erling Haaland was a significant blow to Manchester City, as he was benched due to a knock suffered during their win over Newcastle on Saturday.
In other Champions League playoff matches, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Brest 10-0 on aggregate, while Borussia Dortmund defeated Sporting CP 3-1 in the first leg, but Sporting slumped to a 0-0 draw in the second leg, eliminating them from the competition. PSV also advanced after a 3-1 win over Juventus in the second leg. The round of 16 draw will feature Real Madrid, PSG, Dortmund, and PSV, who will join Bayern Munich, Benfica, Club Brugge, and Feyenoord, who advanced earlier.
The top eight teams in the standings will be seeded in the round of 16 draw and host the first-leg games on March 4-5. With the draw for the Champions League final announced, Real Madrid will face a difficult opponent in the round of 16, and the competition is expected to heat up as the top teams battle it out for the title.
