MBATTERED BY REAL!

Lacklustre City are simply blown away by Madrid's megastar as they exit Europe with a whimper

- BY JEREMY CROSS

MANCHESTER CITY were the ones left crying their hearts out after seeing their European dream end in tears in the Bernabeu.

Needing a miracle in Madrid, City suffered a nightmare instead on a night that will go down as one of the darkest of Pep Guardiola's managerial career.

But they only had themselves to blame for crashing out of the Champions League play-offs to a Real side inspired by Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick (left, celebrating his third goal with Jude Bellingham). Because they picked a fight with the wrong club. Having mocked Real with that banner in the first leg over their reaction to seeing Rodri and not Vinicius Jr win the Ballon d'Or - the battle lines had been drawn.

And how Real made City pay - to ensure they were the ones laughing last and the loudest, Nico Gonzalez's goal at the death becoming an irrelevance.

Poke a lion with a big stick and look what happens.