After reaching the Champions League last 16, Rodrigo believes Real Madrid will continue to perform well

With Mbappe's hat trick, Real Madrid defeated Premier League giants Manchester City 3-1 in the second leg of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League knockout play-offs and successfully advanced to the Champions League round of 16. Rodrigo said that the team played an almost perfect game and believed that Real Madrid could maintain its excellent performance in the future.

Raul Asensio assisted Mbappe to score in the 4th minute, helping Real Madrid to a dream start with a score of 1 to 0. In the 33rd minute, Rodrigo made a cross pass, Mbappe received it and shook off the defense and shot, helping Real Madrid continue to lead Manchester City 2 to 0.

In the 61st minute of the second half, Mbappe scored a long shot after receiving a pass from Valverde, helping Real Madrid to further expand their lead to 3-0. In the second half stoppage time, Marmus hit the post when he took a free kick, and then Nico Gonzalez shot the ball into the empty goal, helping Manchester City to pull back 1-3.

In the end, Real Madrid defeated Manchester City 3-1 at the Bernabeu Stadium and successfully obtained a ticket to the round of 16 of the Champions League.

The 24-year-old Real Madrid striker Rodrigo said in an interview, "This may be the most exciting day of the season so far. The opponent is an extremely strong team. We have met them many times in the past few years, and this time we performed better in the two rounds and deserved to advance."

"We understood the game very well and knew when to shrink our defense and when to press high. Although we lost a goal in the end, overall we played an almost perfect game."

In addition, the 26-year-old Mbappe has contributed 7 goals for Real Madrid in the Champions League so far this season and 17 goals in the La Liga.

Speaking of his teammate Mbappe, Rodrigo said, "This is a great day for Mbappe against a top team and we are all very happy for him. His condition is improving every day and he is really a superstar. He joins a team that has won the Champions League and there are many great players here, and his presence makes our overall strength go to a higher level."

"We are playing well every day and the understanding between the players has become deeper. With our quality and commitment, I believe we can continue at this level."