UEFA Champions League: Díaz assists in Madrid win; Hakimi and PSG surge past Chelsea

Brahim Díaz provided an assist on a rare start for Real Madrid, who thumped Manchester City 3-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash on a good day for Moroccans abroad.

Receiving his second consecutive start on Wednesday, the Morocco national team star helped Real captain Federico Valverde complete a sensational first half hat-trick to leave the club from the Spanish capital in full control at the Bernabéu.

The Uruguayan was in spectacular form to help the La Liga club surge ahead, beginning in the 20th minute when he was first to a clearance from goalkeeper Thibault Courtois before finishing past out of position City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Seven minutes later, it was 2-0 in favor of the hosts following a thumping effort from distance by Valverde, who previously scored in a 2-1 victory at Celta Vigo over the weekend.

Manchester City provided little threat after halftime as the match settled down into a stalemate. After being relegated to a substitute role for most of the season, Díaz was given a second consecutive start by Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa.

It is his third assist with Los Galacticos since enduring a nightmare ending to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations when he missed a crucial penalty for hosts Morocco, who fell to Senegal in the final after extra time. Díaz now has 1 goal and 5 assists in 30 appearances across all competitions this season.

In Paris, Achraf Hakimi and Paris Saint-Germain rolled past Chelsea with a 5-2 first leg victory after experiencing stiff resistance from the Premier League club in Paris.

Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé goals put the Ligue 1 champions ahead but responses from Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernández left the match level at 2-2 by the hour mark. However, Vitinha’s 74th minute goal put the hosts ahead before substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added an important late double to leave another Premier League club with a three-goal deficit to overcome.

On prend la première manche !

ICI C’EST PARIS ! ❤️💙#PSGCHE I #UCL pic.twitter.com/0NMvIfvNjY

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) March 11, 2026

Hakimi played the full match to continue a strong stretch of play, creating a couple of opportunities and offering efficiency in attack. He has played every minute of the last seven matches for PSG, accumulating a goal and two assists.