Mbappe's triple treat

Kylian Mbappe was celebrating a "perfect night" with Real Madrid — one that included his third Champions League hat-trick and his club securing a spot in the round of 16 to keep alive its hopes of winning a record-extending 16th European title.

With a pair of goals in the first half and another successful strike in the second, Mbappe led Madrid to a comfortable 3-1 win over Manchester City on Wednesday. The Spanish powerhouse advanced 6-3 on aggregate after a dramatic 3-2 first-leg win in England last week.

"This was a perfect night," Mbappe said. "We wanted to win, and this was how to do it. We gave everything in front of our home fans, and we won because we produced a great performance against City, who are always difficult to play."

Mbappe joined Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski on the list of players with two hat-tricks in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo has four. Mbappe's other hat-tricks came with Paris Saint-Germain against Barcelona in 2021, and in the group stage against Club Brugge in 2019.

"He has the quality to reach his numbers, but he has to work, because Cristiano set the bar very high, but he is so excited to play here, he can reach Cristiano's level," Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti told a news conference.

"Everyone was waiting for this hat-trick from him, and it has finally arrived. But, Mbappe is not the only one, we have many players who make a difference. And they make a difference with their collective work above their individual quality, which is remarkable."

Madrid player Jude Bellingham was among those praising Mbappe's performance against City.

"Mbappe is very special — everyone knows that, and he never stops proving it," he said. "He's a better person than a player, and we're going to benefit from his goals."

The France star said it was one of his best games since he joined Madrid this season.

"Whether this was my best game for Madrid or not, I'm not the best person to analyze," Mbappe said. "Better that somebody else decides. I'm here to play and to perform on the pitch. I would categorize this as a great team performance."

Ancelotti lamented that his side had to go through the pain of the knockout round, but said that it only had itself to blame, after its slow start to the campaign saw it finish outside the top eight in the league standings.

"It's not positive at all having to go through the playoffs, because we had to play 10 games to get to the last 16," Ancelotti said.

"We're not coming out of a difficult period, we're entering one, because this is when the real season starts. There is no way to stop, to rest. But, on an emotional level, sure, this tie has been good for us. Let's keep rolling."

The defending champion will next face either Bayer Leverkusen or crosstown rival Atletico Madrid, depending on Friday's draw.

Mbappe said he would rather see Madrid faces Atletico instead of Bayer Leverkusen in the next round, mostly to avoid a trip to Germany.

"Honestly, I would rather we are drawn against Atletico," Mbappe said. "They are two great clubs and it would be difficult either way, but, in the next round, it would be much better for us if we don't have to travel."