Man City vs Inter Milan LIVE: Champions League final result and reaction after City seal historic treble
Man City 1-0 Inter Milan: Rodri’s second-half strike saw Pep Guardiola’s City win a nervy game and complete a historic treble
Rodri fired the winning goal as Manchester City finally claimed Champions League glory and completed the treble with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Inter Milan.
The midfielder rifled home in the 68th minute as the Premier League winners City wore down the Italians in a draining final at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
The contest was a tight one, with City suffering a serious blow in pursuit of the prize that has eluded them for so long when they lost Kevin De Bruyne to injury in the first half. The prolific Erling Haaland was also kept quiet by a stubborn Inter side but Rodri eventually made the breakthrough with a firm strike after a Bernardo Silva pass was deflected into his path.
It capped a momentous season for City having also won the FA Cup as well as a fifth Premier League title in six years. Their success means they also join rivals Manchester United as the only side to have won all three of those trophies in the same season. It meant mission accomplished for owner Sheikh Mansour, who was present in Istanbul at only his second match since purchasing the club in 2008 and subsequently propelling them to the game’s top table. Manager Pep Guardiola could also celebrate Champions League success again 12 years after the second of his two wins as Barcelona boss.
Relive the Champions League final below:
59’ - Man City 0-0 Inter
OVER! City then quickly break after that near disaster and Barella brings down Foden about 30 yards from goal. The first yellow card of the evening handed out.
A dangerous position for the free-kick and a short ball is then whipped into the box but Dias’s header is well over.
58’ - Man City 0-0 Inter
CHANCE! Almost a complete disaster for City!
No communication between Ederson and Akanji as they leave a ball into the channel for each other and Martinez nips in. He’s unmarked in the box but Ederson comes out well and smothers the shot. A let-off. Could Martinez have squared for Lukaku? Possibly, although City players were streaming back
57’ - Man City 0-0 Inter
The longer this game goes, the happier Inter will be with 0-0 and the nervier City will get.
Edin Dzeko goes down, looks like he might be cramping. Either way, he’s being taken off now and Romelu Lukaku enters the fray. A good sub to bring on and adds a different element to Inter’s attack. We expected to see Lukaku around this point.
He immediately wins a header and Inter have an overlap but Akanji does superbly to cover the space and cut out the attempted cross past him.
55’ - Man City 0-0 Inter
Great work from Stones on the edge of the Inter box and he then finds Gundogan but the space is closed down and the chance goes by the wayside.
Çalhanoglu then dives in front of Foden and convinces the ref he’s been brought down, so wins the free-kick and Inter can relieve the pressure
53’ - Man City 0-0 Inter
Gundogan playing like a terrier now. He goes in hard on Martinez but gets enough of the ball that it’s no foul. Darmian then wipes out Grealish on the left but Foden’s free-kick sails harmlessly through.
51’ - Man City 0-0 Inter
Similar pattern in the early going of this second half - City with the ball, Inter pressing high and with intensity. Should City start playing the long ball into Haaland as a traditional No 9 (as they did against Arsenal) to switch up the attacking impetus? The beauty of the Norwegian is he’s more than capable of fulfilling that role.
Great tackle by Gundogan to dispossess Darmian but he gets knocked to the ground by Çalhanoglu for his troubles. He looks a bit winded but gets up and seems to be fine.
48’ - Man City 0-0 Inter
Dimarco is down holding his back (and his face, but that’s par for the course in terms of dramatics). There was a minor collision with Bernardo that he’s made a lot of. He’s back up on his feet and hasn’t lost a limb or anything, so he’s all good to continue
46’ - Man City 0-0 Inter
No changes at half-time for either side. Romelu Lukaku feels like Inter’s trump card off the bench. When will they deploy him?
City obviously have the likes of Julian Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez to call upon whenever they deem it necessary.
KICK-OFF! Man City 0-0 Inter
The teams are back out - Inter return to the field first and City follow after a few final words from Pep Guardiola. Can they find the moment of magic to break Inter down?
Should be a fascinating 45 minutes - we’re back underway in Istanbul.
Man City 0-0 Inter
Our Senior Football Correspondent Richard Jolly, is also at the Ataturk Stadium. He too has focused on the De Bruyne injury and how City’s other midfielders have struggled.
Rich says: “An underwhelming first half for Manchester City, though Inter can be reasonably satisfied.
“Apart from the anguish for Kevin de Bruyne of his early exit from a second Champions League final, there is also the practical problem that he, unlike most of his teammates, was playing well. Rodri, in particular, has been sluggish, while Ilkay Gundogan has been quiet.
“The general mood has been subdued. All in all, a less dramatic first half than the last one at this ground involving a team from Milan.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments