Real Madrid's Valverde scores first-half hat trick in victory over Man City in Champions League

MADRID (AP) — There was an uncertainty among Real Madrid fans before Wednesday’s Champions League match against Manchester City.

It has a new and untested coach, recently lost two league games in a row, and last weekend required a last-minute deflection to beat Celta Vigo.

Federico Valverde dispelled their doubts in a scintillating first 45 minutes, scoring a sublime hat trick en route to Madrid's 3-0 victory in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

Valverde completed a quick counterattack and rounded goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with a deft touch to score the opener after 20 minutes.

He ran on to a pass from Vinicius Junior and then fired home a low shot with his weaker left foot seven minutes later to make it 2-0.

The Uruguay midfielder saved the best for last, taking Brahim Diaz’s clever chip and then knocking it over the outstretched leg of Marc Guéhi before volleying past Donnarumma to make it 3-0 three minutes before halftime.

The home fans chanted his name as the teams walked off.

“You dream of nights like this,” he told broadcaster Movistar before adding that this was perhaps his greatest performance in all white. “I had fun tonight. It’s been a long time since I enjoyed a game like I did this one.”

The win capped what has been a remarkable few months for the 27-year-old Uruguayan. Valverde has been a versatile and reliable figure for Madrid this turbulent season and particularly since the turn of the year.

Kylian Mbappé, out injured against City, has scored the goals, and Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham have taken the headlines.

But through it all, Valverde has remained a solid and reliable presence at midfield or full back, missing only one Champions league match and one La Liga game all season.

That dependability is priceless for Álvaro Arbeloa. Even better news for the new coach is Valverde appears to be hitting peak form.

Never the most prolific goalscorer, Valverde has stepped up with Mbappé and Bellingham out injured. All six of his goals this season have come since January.

“It doesn’t matter where you play him,” Arbeloa said. “He is the reference point. Fede Valverde is everything a Real Madrid player should be.”

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Real Madrid's head coach Alvaro Arbeloa hugs Federico Valverde after he scored during a first leg round of 16 Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Real Madrid's Federico Valverde celebrates after scoring during a first leg round of 16 Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Real Madrid's Federico Valverde celebrates after scoring during a first leg round of 16 Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Real Madrid's Federico Valverde celebrates after scoring during a first leg round of 16 Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Two U.S. Army soldiers have been injured after encountering a brown bear in a mountainous training area in Anchorage, the military said Friday.

The incident happened Thursday as the soldiers were participating in a “land navigation training event” in Arctic Valley, part of the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s training area.

The soldiers were receiving medical care as of Friday, a military official told the Anchorage Daily News. Messages sent to base spokespersons were not immediately returned to The Associated Press on Friday.

The soldiers’ conditions were not released pending notification of relatives.

Both soldiers used pepper spray on the bear, the official said. Few other details were available about the incident because it was still under investigation.

“The safety and well-being of our personnel is our highest priority,” Lt. Col. Jo Nederhoed, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division, said in an email to the Anchorage Daily News.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is investigating what it says appears to have been “a defensive attack" by a bear that had recently emerged from a den. The area near where the incident occurred has been closed to recreational activity by base officials, the department said.

Samples were collected by investigators with the aim of positively identifying the species and gender of bear involved, the department said.

The base encompasses 100 square miles (259 square kilometers) within the Municipality of Anchorage, where up to 350 black bears and 75 brown bears roam freely.

FILE - A sign marks the entrance to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen,File)