Hardwood timber Kylian Mbappe had Manchester City on strings and got manager Pep Guardiola doing stuff he’d never experienced before.
The phenomenal French forward was in a class of his own as his stellar hat-trick saw Real Madrid seal a comfortable Champions League win over City, with Los Blancos winning 3-1 on Wednesday night and 6-3 on aggregate in the knockout play-off tie.
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City had no answers for the marvellous MbappeCredit: Getty
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The Real Madrid superstar now has two hat-tricks for Real MadridCredit: GettyAfter Real won the first leg at the Etihad Stadium 3-2, the tie was as good as done in the opening 33 minutes on Wednesday night with Mbappe producing two classy finishes.
He added a third just after the hour-mark with a low left-footed strike with Nico Gonzalez scoring a consolation goal for the Premier League outfit in stoppage time.
The result sees City boss Guardiola get eliminated from the Champions League before the last-16 stage as a boss for the first time – this being his 16th season campaign as a manager.
It’s also the earliest City have exited the competition since the 2012/13 season where they were knocked out in the group stage.
READ MORE ON KYLIAN MBAPPEMeanwhile, the defeat is City’s 13th of the season across all competitions, which is now the most ever by a Guardiola side in a single season in his managerial career – the previous record being 12 losses during the 2019/20 season.
It’s new lows for a manager who’s won the competition three times – the last of which came just two seasons ago – but Rio Ferdinand believes Guardiola and City had been made to accept their fate by the brilliance of Mbappe and Real Madrid during the match.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen a Man City team led by Pep Guardiola almost tapping out, looking for the final whistle,” Ferdinand told TNT Sports.
“That’s testament to what they’ve produced over his tenure, they’ve been magnificent since he’s come through the door.
“But this season there have been many moments where you think that isn’t the identity of a Pep Guardiola Man City team and tonight was an example of that.
“You can’t take anything away from Real Madrid, I think that they’re a formidable team, clicking into gear and are in a moment where City are lacking any kind of confidence.”
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Mbappe now has over 500 goal contributions in what’s been an incredible career so far for him
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This is the worst Guardiola has ever done in the Champions League as a manager in his 16th season as a head coachCredit: GettyGuardiola didn’t have any complaints at the way the tie went, as he said: “After we conceded the goal in the first action we didn’t defend well, it was more and more difficult.
“We have to accept it, the best team won so congratulations to Real Madrid. Now we focus on the Premier League.
“It’s a fantastic team, they deserve to go through. We didn’t deserve it, it’s the first year we didn’t make a good Champions League season. We have to accept it and fight for next season to be here again.
“Of course Real Madrid are contenders to win the Champions League now, but there are other good teams around.”
Meanwhile, Mbappe remarked: “A perfect night for the team. We wanted to win. We wanted to qualify for the next round.
“For us it was only logical that Real Madrid reached the next round of the Champions League.
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“When you play against Manchester City it is always a difficult game but we knew that at home we would be very strong.
“We played better as a group and we were able to give a lot of joy to the fans.
“We have to continue in this way if we are to win what we want to win this season.
“I want to play well here, I want to make a mark on the season. I want to write history with Real Madrid. The adaptation period for me has ended and now I have to show my quality.”
Read More on talkSPORTReal Madrid will play either Bayer Leverkusen or inner-city rivals Atletico Madrid in the last-16 with the draw to be done on Friday.
As for City, the FA Cup represents the best opportunity for them to achieve any silverware in what’s been a tough season for them.