Author: Amrit Santlani
Manchester City finally achieved the improbable. Pep Guardiola’s men are now the second English club to win a historic treble when they beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League in Istanbul, thanks to a goal from Brazilian midfielder Rodri shortly after half-time. After winning the Premier League and beating rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final, the Cityzens had their sights set on the UCL title and were widely considered the favorites after beating last season’s champions Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in the semi-final.
Facing an Inter side that beat rivals AC Milan 3-0 on aggregate, Guardiola knew his team wouldn’t have it easy and, as it turned out, Simone Inzaghi found the perfect way to prevent the Premier League side from having those spaces that make them so lethal. After frustrating City in the first 45 minutes, Inter Milan’s good work was undone when their defense shut down, allowing Rodrigo to score from the edge of the box.
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Inter had their chances, Romelu Lukaku missing a glorious opportunity with a header from just two meters away, while inadvertently fumbling Federico Dimarco’s shot. Captain Lautaro Martinez was denied by a point-blank save from Ederson, while City’s defense showed signs of vulnerability, but the team got the job done and secured their first UCL title.
Guardiola’s men started the match dominating possession, with the duo of Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland combining very well to almost punish the Italian club, although André Onana made a smart save from Haaland’s shot to keep the score at 0-0. That was the Belgian’s only contribution of the night, as he picked up an injury and was replaced by Phil Foden just after the half-hour mark.
A cagey first half ended 0-0, with Inter doing a good job to keep Haaland at bay. In the second half, Inter should have taken the lead when Manuel Akanji misplaced a back pass to his teammate, allowing Martinez to get in on goal, but Ederson stepped up and made a great save from the Argentine striker.
That was the first of many chances that the Serie A giants ended up squandering and which they would later regret. Inzaghi’s side managed to prevent City from penetrating their box, but for the opening goal, Akanji sliced open Inter’s defense like a knife through butter, passing to Bernardo Silva, who played it to Rodrigo. The Brazilian didn’t try to complicate things and simply sent the ball into the back of the net to open the scoring in the 67th minute.
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Guardiola’s men had only conceded one goal from open play all season in the Champions League, but suddenly their defense seemed to crumble when Dimarco’s header hit the crossbar and the rebound was unwittingly blocked by his own teammate, Lukaku.
Foden should have doubled City’s lead with a fine touch and a turn that left two defenders behind. The Englishman broke down the defense on his own, but couldn’t finish as Onana made an easy save from a weak shot.
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Marcelo Brozovic’s cross was deflected across goal by Robin Gosens, but Lukaku somehow deflected his header straight at Ederson with the goal gaping. Gosens tested Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson again at the last attempt of the game, but the keeper made a great save to maintain his unbeaten run and seal City’s victory.
Ederson and Rodrigo were impressive for Guardiola’s side in the evening’s triumph.