MADRID — Manchester City’s Champions League playoff against Real Madrid got off to a challenging beginning on Wednesday night.

Just moments after Kylian Mbappé put the home team ahead with a goal in the fourth minute, City defender John Stones was forced to leave the game due to what appeared to be a knee injury.

Stones collapsed shortly after Mbappé’s goal and was substituted by the eighth minute, managing to exit the pitch under his own power. Nathan Aké stepped in to fill his position.

Adding to City’s woes, they began the match without their star striker, Erling Haaland, who was unable to recover fully from a knee injury he had sustained during a Premier League game the previous Saturday.

Real Madrid ultimately triumphed with a 3-1 victory, with Mbappé scoring all three goals for the team. This win propelled the Spanish giants into the next round of the competition with a total aggregate score of 6-3.