In the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 for the 2025/26 season, four matches took place, yielding several sensational results. In Madrid, "Real" triumphed over "Manchester City" at their home stadium "Santiago Bernabeu," scoring three unanswered goals (3:0). Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde was the star of the match, completing a hat-trick in the first half (20', 27', 42'). In the 57th minute, Vinicius Junior failed to convert a penalty, but this did not affect the final outcome. This victory for the "whites" is particularly noteworthy given the absence of several key players, such as Kylian Mbappe, Rodrigo, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Jude Bellingham, and Dani Ceballos, due to injuries.
Meanwhile, in Paris, "PSG" confidently defeated London’s "Chelsea," finishing the match with a score of 5:2. For the French club, goals were scored by Bradley Barcola (10'), Ousmane Dembélé (40'), and Vitinha (74'), while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice at the end of the match (86', 90+4'). Despite the guests' attempts to get back into the game with goals from Malo Gusto (28') and Enzo Fernandez (57'), the Parisians confidently secured a resounding victory, avenging their defeat in the Club World Cup final.
Another sensation of the round was the performance of the Norwegian club "Bodø/Glimt," which defeated Lisbon's "Sporting" with an impressive score of 3:0. Goals from Sondre Fet (32', penalty), August Mikkelsen (45+1'), and Kasper Høgh (71') allowed the modest club from the Arctic to achieve a convincing victory over the Portuguese giant. The return matches, which will determine the fate of the quarter-final participants, will take place on March 17, 2026.
