Real Madrid proved doubters wrong in Man City win, says Alexander-Arnold

2026-03-11 - 23:24

Real Madrid’s players celebrate after Federico Valverde scored the third goal during the match against Manchester City. (EPA Images pic) MADRID: Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold said his team surprised a lot of people who expected them to get “battered” by beating Manchester City 3-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday. Federico Valverde netted a first-half hattrick for Madrid to secure an impressive last-16 first-leg victory. Alvaro Arbeloa’s side have been inconsistent over the past few weeks but delivered their best display of the season at the Santiago Bernabeu. “(It was a) massive performance, I think a lot of the noise when the draw happened and then leading up to this game,” Alexander-Arnold told TNT Sports. “Especially (given) the way that we’ve been playing the last few games and the results we’ve had, a lot of people just expected us to get battered tonight. “It just shows the mentality, it doesn’t matter what injuries you’ve got, what players are out, this competition means a lot to the club.” Madrid were without key players, including Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes, among others, but Valverde’s treble secured the record 15-time winners a convincing victory. “I’m very happy for Valverde,” Arbeloa told reporters after the victory. “I think he is the Juanito of the 21st century... he is a perfect representation of Real Madrid.” Juanito, a Madrid icon in the 1980s, was known for his fighting spirit and character.