By half-time, Real Madrid were 3-0 up against Manchester City, and out of sight. Game over, and probably tie over.

But it hadn’t been entirely plain sailing for Alvaro Arbeloa’s side. In fact, throughout the first 15 minutes, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City were unquestionably on top.

City’s Early Dominance

In particular, they were making inroads down their left flank. On paper, City were using three wingers: Jeremy Doku, Savinho and Antoine Semenyo. With Semenyo accustomed to a central role since his arrival at City in January, it was Savinho on the right and Doku wide-left. City’s plan was to expose Trent Alexander-Arnold to some direct dribbling, a tactic Guardiola has used many times before in City’s clashes against Liverpool.

Doku stayed out on the touchline and was constantly in space when Semenyo had the ball centrally.

Match Summary	Details
Half-time score	Real Madrid 3-0 Manchester City
Valverde’s role	Right-sided midfielder/makeshift right-back
Key matchup	Valverde vs Jeremy Doku

Guardiola’s Tactical Plan

Guardiola’s plan for causing Alexander-Arnold problems was evident in the role of Nico O’Reilly. While defending at left-back, O’Reilly pushed into central midfield when City had possession. This naturally resulted in Federico Valverde, Madrid’s right-sided midfielder, following him inside.

That left Alexander-Arnold with a problem. He wasn’t sure how far to move out towards Doku. Instinctively, he wanted to remain tight to his fellow defenders, but Doku was remaining very wide, and so Alexander-Arnold kept getting himself into awkward, in-between positions.

City could repeatedly switch the play to Doku, who picked up speed and raced down the outside. This early ball into the box, after a Bernardo Silva dribble, was very dangerous.

Valverde was always dropping into the channel, watching O’Reilly’s runs, with Alexander-Arnold moving out to Doku. But neither element quite worked. Doku slipped in O’Reilly, who made a good run in behind Valverde to play a cross into the box, which Erling Haaland wasn’t quite anticipating.

Doku was terrorising Alexander-Arnold. This diagonal from Rodri got him running down the outside again, and it was Valverde, covering behind Alexander-Arnold, who blocked his cutback.

Real Madrid’s Solution

After that, Real Madrid found a solution.

It was fairly simple: rather than moving inside with O’Reilly, Valverde shuttled out to Doku. This meant Alexander-Arnold could stay infield, tight to the other defenders. More importantly, Valverde is a better one-on-one defender than Alexander-Arnold, which proved crucial against Doku’s dribbling.

And this is the remarkable thing about Valverde’s hat-trick. It prompted comparisons to Champions League hat-tricks by Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Robert Lewandowski and other superstar attackers. But until he struck the first goal, Valverde’s role had been as a defensive reinforcement — a makeshift right-back.

The Hat-Trick Goals

Yet the Uruguayan somehow still found time to race past O’Reilly — and Gianluigi Donnarumma — to turn Thibaut Courtois’ excellent ball into an assist.

Two minutes later, Valverde’s hybrid defensive job continued: following O’Reilly inside, up to a certain point, then pushing out wide to close down Doku, and dispossessing him.

Five minutes later, Valverde gets his second — waiting until O’Reilly checks over his right shoulder, then darting in behind on the opposite side, and finishing from Vinicius Junior’s pass. This was combined with him effectively playing at right-back and constantly getting the better of Doku.

Before half-time, Valverde sealed his hat-trick. Brahim Diaz chipped the ball in behind for him, and Valverde popped the ball over Marc Guehi’s head and smashed in his third.

Alexander-Arnold’s Tribute

Valverde was the main story. But his hat-trick was really only part of the tale.

“I think he is undoubtedly the most underrated footballer on the planet,” said Alexander-Arnold afterwards. “When you play with him, you understand how much he gives to the team: he covers every blade of grass, he gives his all.”

“As a player, the best attribute you can have is that your team-mates can always count on you and he’s always there — he never lets us down. Maybe people will start talking about it now, but for many years he’s been in that top bracket of midfielders.”

Valverde stabilised the game. And then he won it. This was a great hat-trick in isolation, but it was even better considering Valverde was also his side’s key defender.

FAQs

What was the score when Valverde completed his hat-trick?

Real Madrid were 3-0 up against Manchester City by half-time. Valverde scored all three goals before the break, putting the tie effectively out of sight.

What was unusual about Valverde’s hat-trick?

Valverde’s hat-trick prompted comparisons to Champions League hat-tricks by Ronaldo, Benzema, and Lewandowski. But until he struck the first goal, his role had been as a defensive reinforcement — a makeshift right-back dealing with Jeremy Doku.

How did Real Madrid solve City’s early dominance?

Rather than moving inside with Nico O’Reilly, Valverde shuttled out to Doku. This allowed Alexander-Arnold to stay infield tight to other defenders. More importantly, Valverde is a better one-on-one defender than Alexander-Arnold, which proved crucial against Doku’s dribbling.

What did Trent Alexander-Arnold say about Valverde?

Alexander-Arnold said: “I think he is undoubtedly the most underrated footballer on the planet. When you play with him, you understand how much he gives to the team: he covers every blade of grass, he gives his all. As a player, the best attribute you can have is that your team-mates can always count on you and he’s always there — he never lets us down.”

How did Valverde score his three goals?

First goal: raced past O’Reilly and Donnarumma to turn Courtois’ excellent ball into an assist. Second goal: waited until O’Reilly checked over his right shoulder, then darted in behind on the opposite side and finished from Vinicius Junior’s pass. Third goal: Brahim Diaz chipped the ball in behind, Valverde popped it over Marc Guehi’s head and smashed in his third.