Real Madrid achieved an impressive result by defeating Manchester City 3-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie, but their lead could have been even wider had Vinicius Junior not missed a penalty.
It was a great performance from Fede Valverde, who scored a hat-trick in the first half and ensured that things were in Real Madrid’s favor. Everything will be decided in the second leg on March 17th at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.
Vinicius Jr. equals Cristiano Ronaldo with negative record
The Brazilian had a chance to make it 4-0, but Gianluigi Donnarumma prevented the scoreline from becoming even more lopsided. It was the same Italian goalkeeper who made a save and denied him a shot after committing a foul himself.
At this moment, Vinicius Jr. recorded his second missed penalty in the Champions League against Real Madrid, in this respect equaling Cristiano Ronaldo’s two missed penalties (although there is a difference in the number of attempts in each).
The Portuguese star took 16 penalties in the Champions League during his Real Madrid career, but ‘Vini’ only had four chances in European competitions. Topping the list in this category is Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has missed three of his five attempts in the UEFA Champions League, while Luis Figo has missed three of his 13 penalty attempts.
The 3-0 scoreline at the Santiago Bernab also matched one of Pep Guardiola’s worst defeats in the first round of the Champions League.
Josep Guardiola’s worst defeat in the first leg of the knockout tie:
Barcelona 3-0 Bayern (May 6, 2015) Liverpool 3-0 City (April 4, 2018)
