Champions League results: Man City hammer Monchengladbach, Real Madrid defeat Atalanta

The first leg of the Round of 16 of the Champions League had turned out to be a nightmare of the Spanish outfits as three of the four teams went on to lose their respective games. Real Madrid, the fourth team from Spain, however, were resolute in not giving up against Atalanta as they went on to clinch a close-edged victory against their 10-man opponents on Wednesday. 

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Champions League results: Atalanta vs Real Madrid highlights 

Zinedine Zidane faced a daunting challenge with several key injuries in his side. Karim Benzema was the most recent player to be excluded from the squad, while the likes of Eden Hazard and Sergio Ramos are yet to return. But the prolonged injury list could not break down the Los Blancos. 

In the 17th minute, Real Madrid displayed a brilliant one-touch football to send down Ferland Mendy in the middle. His pacy attributes compelled Remo Freluer to bring him down, with the referee handing out a red card. The Spanish champions kept Atalanta on their toes as they got a couple of chances in the first half, but failed to break the deadlock. 

A similar game was on display in the second half. The Spanish champions created sufficient chances but suffered in the final third. The game appeared to be headed towards a goalless draw, only for Mendy to turn the tide. In the 86th minute, the French defender received a sensational pass from Luka Modric. Mendy struck a curling shot from outside the box into the bottom right corner to win it for Real Madrid. Thus, Los Blancos became the only Spanish team in the round of 16 to win the first leg.

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Champions League results: Monchengladbach vs Man City highlights

Man City have been in exceptional form in the Premier League this season. And Pep Guardiola's men carried up with their impactful performance in the Champions League when they came up against Borussia Monchengladbach. The Etihad-based outfit achieved the breakthrough in the 29th minute with Bernardo Silva bagging the opener. 

Silva struck a sensational header into the back of the net with Joao Cancelo's terrific cross from the left-wing. Man City remained dominant for a significant part of the game but failed to double their lead in the first half. It was only in the 65th minute that Gabriel Jesus struck the second goal for the Premier League heavyweights. 

Raheem Sterling initiated a sensational move before laying it back to Cancelo. The Portuguese defender then found out Silva in the box. Silva was quick to head the ball towards Jesus, with the Brazilian international poking in the it from a couple of yards away to round up a 2-0 win. 

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Champions League round of 16 second leg details 

The first leg of the Round of 16 has concluded. The second leg of the knockout tie will follow a similar pattern as the first leg. It will be played over a period of two weeks, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. March 9 and March 10 has been decreed as the date for the one-half of the second leg fixtures, while the other half will be played out on March 16 and March 17.

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Image courtesy: Sergio Aguero, Real Madrid Twitter