Man City hang tough to beat Inter and complete the treble
Manchester City ended a sensational season by beating Inter Milan 1-0 to win the Champions League for the first time and complete the treble on a Saturday evening of frayed nerves.
Spanish midfielder Rodri's 68th-minute goal settled a cagey game which a far-from-fluent City dominated without ever looking comfortable against the three-times winners from Italy at the Ataturk Stadium.
Inter almost levelled at the death when a point-blank header by substitute Romelu Lukaku was saved by Ederson.
But City, who lost in the final two years ago against Chelsea, would not be denied.
"Emotional. A dream come true. All these guys around here waited I don't know how many years. They deserve, we deserve," Rodri said.
In being crowned champions of Europe, they matched the treble achieved by Manchester United in 1999 of lifting the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League crowns.
City manager Pep Guardiola has now won the Champions League three times and took his trophy count with City to 12.
It was far from a fluent City performance, however, against a tireless Inter side who looked capable of causing a shock.
City were stifled in the first half and their fans were reduced to near silence at times as the nerves became frayed.
With Kevin de Bruyne off injured, City struggled to create chances and were wobbly at the back but in the end the ever-reliable Rodri came to the rescue.
For once Inter could not close down the spaces and Bernardo Silva's cutback was swept home by the Spaniard.
Even then, City were forced to go to the wire at the end of long season with Lautaro Martinez hitting the bar for Inter and Lukaku denied by s superb Ederson save at the death.
With this feat City become second English club to win the treble. Ederson's dramatic late save from Romelu Lukaku helps City make history in Istanbul.
Rodri's side-footed finish midway through the second half broke Inter's resistance and though Federico Dimarco hit the crossbar with a header before Ederson saved sensationally from Romelu Lukaku, City held on to make history in the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
Having already overhauled Arsenal to retain the Premier League trophy and beaten Manchester United to lift the FA Cup at Wembley, this victory saw them match the achievement of their city rivals in 1999. Pep Guardiola was in tears afterwards.
The Catalan coach has won it all at City but this was the one they have been waiting for - champions of Europe for the first time. For Guardiola, it ends his 12-year wait to win the competition for a third time as a coach and a fourth time overall.
Historic moment in Turkey
It was tight and it was tense. Fraught with jeopardy, of course, but difficulty too. Made more difficult when Kevin De Bruyne trudged off injured in the first half, the second time in three seasons that he has departed a Champions League final with the game in the balance.
Ederson looked nervy early on, showing moments of sloppiness that hinted at the scale of the occasion. Rodri was misplacing passes. Erling Haaland broke clear once but his shot was saved. It was City's best chance in the opening 45 minutes against an organised Inter.
NEAR-MISSES
In finally guiding Manchester City to the European crown they so cherished after a few gut-wrenching near misses since Sheikh Mansour bought the club in 2008, Guardiola became the first manager to achieve two trebles in European football, having done the Spanish equivalent with Barcelona in 2009.
He has won 12 trophies with City since taking charge in 2016 and with the Champions League jinx broken, any sense of inferiority City may have suffered to the established European royalty of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Liverpool has gone.
City still must defend themselves against more than 100 alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations dating back to 2009, but that is for another day.
On Saturday alongside the Bosphorous, that was the last thing City's joyous fans cared about as they celebrated the club's first European trophy since the now defunct European Cup Winners' Cup in 1969–70.
Guardiola's side fluffed their lines in Porto two years ago when losing to Chelsea in the Champions League final -- a defeat partially blamed on Guardiola's tactics.
This time he and his players delivered, although it was far from straightforward against the wily Italian side. (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris and Ed Osmond)
Team news
Kyle Walker was only among the substitutes so Nathan Ake came into the Manchester City team in the only change from the two-legged semi-final against Real Madrid.
Inter went with former City striker Edin Dzeko up front partnering Lautaro Martinez. Former Manchester United duo Romelu Lukaku and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were on the bench.
The task did not become easier once Lukaku replaced Edin Dzeko and Inter could have led had Ederson not denied Lautaro Martinez from a narrow angle after Manuel Akanji inexplicably allowed the ball to run through. Guardiola was on his knees in despair.
It was joy soon after. Akanji slipped a pass through to Bernardo Silva and his cut-back deflected into the path of the oncoming Rodri. The midfielder measured his finish, bending it beyond two Inter defenders and into the corner of the net to break the deadlock.
Rodri had been left on the bench for the Champions League final against Chelsea in 2021. Not this time. His goal will rank among the most important in City's history, a moment to rival the Sergio Aguero title-winning strike of 11 years earlier. But it was not the end.
Dimarco capitalised on uncertainty inside the City box and his looping header beat Ederson only to come back off the crossbar. The second chance looked more straightforward but this time Dimarco's header struck the legs of Lukaku. A fortunate escape.
Lukaku had a clearer opportunity with just minutes remaining. Robin Gosens centred the ball and the striker just had to beat Ederson from close range. His header was firm but not in the corner, the goalkeeper producing an astonishing stop to keep the ball out.
It is a save that will be talked about for years. A night that will be talked about for years. Manchester City are champions of Europe.
The treble is theirs.
- Readers Comments desired, Share Your Story in comment box below;
0 Comments