Rising football news blogger Ofonasaha Ekpenyong has shared his opinion following Manchester City’s 3–0 defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg of the 2025/26 Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League.
Ekpenyong, who describes himself on his Facebook page as a football blogger bringing updates and happenings from the football world, clarified that he is not a Manchester City fan but wanted to give his honest view of the match.
Softfootball gathered from his Facebook post that he believed Manchester City were outplayed despite dominating possession early in the game.
His exact words on Facebook
I know I’m not a Manchester City fan, but here’s my honest take on City’s 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid.
Despite City starting with a lot of pressure and having most of the possession, they were completely torn apart by Federico Valverde.
Scoring a first-half hat-trick in just 22 minutes is world-class, but from a tactical side, it looked like City were caught sleeping on the counter-attack every single time.
The difference in quality was clear. Real Madrid didn’t even need Kylian Mbappe or Jude Bellingham to dominate.
They were clinical, while City struggled to create anything meaningful.
Even when City had a bit of luck, like Gianluigi Donnarumma saving a penalty from Vinicius Jr. to keep it at 3-0—they still couldn’t find a way through.
It’s another example of why the Premier League ‘hype’ is crashing down in Europe this week.
While the media calls it the best league in the world, the actual results show that teams like Real Madrid are still on another level when it comes to the Champions League.
Now, Pep Guardiola has a massive mountain to climb in the second leg.
Despite the heavy defeat, Manchester City were somewhat fortunate that the scoreline did not increase further. City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma saved a penalty from Vinícius Júnior, keeping the score at 3–0.
That moment could prove important as City attempt to mount a comeback.
The second leg between Manchester City and Real Madrid will take place at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, 17 March 2026 at 20:00 British time, where Pep Guardiola’s side will need a major turnaround to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
