Knowing better than to unfurl any tifos that might come back to haunt them at the conclusion of tonight’s proceedings, the Bernabéu faithful instead drew confidence from the fact that they had progressed in all but two of their previous 39 UCL ties in which they emerged victorious in the first leg away from home.
And it took just four minutes for their strong position to be further solidified, as Raúl Asencio lobbed over a long ball which was misjudged by Rúben Dias and taken on by Mbappé, who nonchalantly lifted it over the stranded Ederson.
That third goal in just 12 minutes of play against Pep Guardiola’s men provided breathing room for the hosts for the first time in the tie, but the 15-time UCL champions refused to rest on their laurels.
Their continued dominance produced a flurry of corners – one from which Jude Bellingham leapt to meet and glance wide – but the best was yet to come.
On 33 minutes, Vinícius Júnior’s ball inside was flicked on by Rodrygo to Mbappé, who sent Joško Gvardiol flying with a deft touch and then buried it inside Ederson’s near post.
The absence of Erling Haaland had no doubt contributed to City’s impotency in the first half, and that trend continued after the restart with next to no action in the attacking third.
Instead, total control remained with the hosts, and Mbappé’s 21st career hat-trick was completed in style as the Frenchman cut inside of Phil Foden and guided in a left-footed finish from the edge of the area.
There was a slight improvement in City’s play from there, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side still looked the more likely to score, and Vinícius tested Ederson with a curling effort.
Four goals behind on aggregate, City looked dejected in the final stages, although they did notch a consolation goal in stoppage time when Omar Marmoush’s free-kick struck the bar and rebounded for Nico González to tap in.
It was something of a surprise to see the last two winners of this competition meet at this stage, but Real Madrid came out on top for the second season running.
They, of course, went on to lift the trophy last time, but the road to repeating that won’t get any easier from here, with either arch-rivals Atlético Madrid or Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen awaiting them in the last 16.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)