Champions League Roundup 4/10: Real Madrid, PSG Win Big, Bodo/Glimt Still in Dreamland

The remaining four Champions League round of 16 first legs took place on Wednesday.

A big night of Champions League soccer. | Carl Recine/UEFA/Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu/Guille Martinez/f22photo/NurPhoto/Getty Images

It was hardly a David vs. Goliath battle—more like Goliath vs. Goliath—but few would have expected before kickoff for Real Madrid to embarrass Manchester City as they did.

Of the two, Los Blancos came into the round of 16 first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu in worse form. Prior to last Friday night against Celta Vigo, it was back-to-back La Liga defeats for Álvaro Arbeloa’s team, compared to a Manchester City side unbeaten since January and winning nine of their last 11.

Federico Valverde became only the second player in Champions League history to score a first-half hat trick against an English opponent—the first was Lionel Messi against Arsenal in 2010.

The Uruguayan midfielder got things moving 20 minutes in when he latched onto a driven ball forward by Thibaut Courtois. His touch was perfect and Valverde was able to knock the ball past the onrushing Gianluigi Donnarumma and find the net on an angle.

His second only seven minutes later came from the left-hand side of the City penalty area, taking a deflected Vinicius Junior in his stride and firing low across Donnarumma. The hat trick—the first of his Real Madrid career—was complete in the 42nd minute, as Brahim Díaz chipped the ball into Valverde’s path. He then knocked it up and over Marc Guéhi, before volleying in from close range.

It was almost worse, but Donnarumma denied Vinicius Junior from the penalty spot in the second half.

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Norwegian Fairytale Shows No Sign of Stopping

In utter dreamland. | Carl Recine/UEFA/Getty Images

Exactly how far can Bødo/Glimt go? The club from the tiny town just north of the Arctic Circle, whose entire population would fit inside the Puskás Arena where this season’s final will be held and still leave 25,000 seats empty, had already become the first Norwegian team to progress in a Champions League-era knockout round when they eliminated Inter in the playoff phase.

Now, they hold a 3–0 aggregate lead over Sporting CP and look to have one foot firmly in the quarterfinals, just like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

It was an even contest in terms of ball control and possession but Bødo/Glimt created much more and made sure to take their chances. Sondre Brunstad Fet scored the first from the penalty spot just over half an hour in, before a deflected pass fell to Ole Blomberg to finish on the stroke of halftime.

Kasper Høgh’s third was a tap in made by Jens Petter Hauge’s determined run and cross.

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Chelsea Undone in Paris

PSG have a handsome lead to protect in London. | Xavier Laine/Getty Images

Paris Saint-Germain’s attempted defense of their European crown accelerated at Parc des Princes on Wednesday night. PSG was soundly beaten by Chelsea in the Club World Cup final in July, but the reigning continental champs will feel this result matters more.

It finished 5–2 in PSG’s favor in the French capital, although Chelsea certainly fought doggedly for an hour until the hosts were able to break clear ahead.

Goals from Bradley Barcola, Malo Gusto and Ousmane Dembélé had the scoreline at 2–1 for the hosts by the interval. Barcola was able to stand all by himself in Chelsea’s box to break the deadlock in the 10th minute, while Dembélé’s go-ahead strike was the product of a rapid PSG counter that saw the ball in the net just 14 seconds after Matvey Safonov saved from Cole Palmer.

There was Chelsea hope when Enzo Fernández slammed in Pedro Neto’s cutback early in the second half, before PSG irreversibly turned the screw. Vitinha’s clever lob was the direct result of an Antonín Kinský-esque mistake from Filip Jörgensen, before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia got a PSG fourth and fifth.

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Arsenal Ensure Second Leg Is Winner Takes All

Leverkusen head coach Kasper Hjulmand letting Nicolas Jover know Arsenal aren’t the only ones who score from set-pieces. pic.twitter.com/OLLgHBw9xI

— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) March 11, 2026

The Gunners were staring down the barrel of a first Champions League defeat of the season in Wednesday’s earlier kickoff. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal trailed Bayer Leverkusen.

The German team’s social media admin made a joke at Arsenal’s expense in the buildup to the match, posting an image of a sign on the pitch that read “no corners allowed.” The irony was that a corner was then exactly where their breakthrough goal came from, Robert Andrich the beneficiary.

Arsenal hardly battered the door down to get back level, but got the opportunity to equalize the tie when Malik Tillman just caught Noni Madueke. The referee pointed to the penalty spot and Kai Havertz’s precise finish from 12 yards ensured it finished 1–1.

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