- Rodri seals the Cityzens’ treble accolades
- Beat Inter Milan 1-0 in Champions League final
Finally, it is the crowning glory for Manchester City. The Champions League trophy that they have earnestly craved over the years will now adorn their silverware cabinet. All thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 triumph over Inter (Internazionale) Milan of Italy on Saturday night inside the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.
The victory effectively puts an end to the Cityzens’ near misses in the Pep Guardiola years when domestic dominance failed to offer them guarantees in Europe’s elite and most capricious competition.
The Blue side of Manchester have been dreaming of winning the Champions League ever since the 2008 takeover by the Abu Dhabi United group, and even more so since Guardiola became the club’s coach in 2016.
Though it has taken 15 years and more than £2 billion in investment, City are finally what they have long wanted to be and felt they should be: undisputably the best team in Europe.
This victory not only got the Champions League monkey off City’s back, it also saw them become only the second English team to complete a treble of Europe’s biggest prize, the Premier League title and FA Cup. The treble was Manchester United’s pride and joy, but now City have matched that achievement.
Much more than many pundits had expected, Pep Guardiola’s men were pushed to breaking point by Inter, a team that finished third in Serie A but gave a good account of themselves on the night.
For much of a high-stress night, a moment of respite came just before the hour mark when Guardiola sank to his knees as Lautaro Martínez rushed up the left, only to shoot too close to Ederson. It was a long way from being the kind of crushing City performance that Premier League supporters have grown used to.
In all this stressful night, City dug deep and found a way to nick the trophy that has proved elusive over the years. They eventually made things happen after Manuel Akanji played in Bernardo Silva up the right and with his pull-back deflected, Rodri was on hand to pick up the loose ball to fire a low shot home.
Inter could have equalised. They should have equalised. Federico Dimarco looped a header up and against the crossbar and, when he headed again on the rebound, the ball hit his teammate Romelu Lukaku and refused to go in. Lukaku would blow a gilt-edged header from close range in the 89th minute when he simply had to score from close range, Ederson saving with his legs. It was a remarkable intervention.
A narrow escape it was and City’s joy knew no bounds. Keeper Ederson was called upon again in added time of added time, turning over Robin Gosens’ header from a corner in the final action of the night in which the English team were considered huge favourites to carry the day.
But on the night, Inter were the better side. City looked strangely nervous, perhaps overwhelmed by the occasion. They may have had all the ball, but they played nowhere near their best. Playing with an unusual lack of confidence and precision, Guardiola was somewhat ironically, screaming ‘Relax!’ at his players during the first half
On all fronts, this is indeed a great achievement for City’s journey since the Abu Dhabi United Group took over the Club in 2008. The owner, Sheikh Mansour, was around and interestingly it was only the second time he had watched his club in a competitive game, the first having been against Liverpool in 2010.
Of course, it was broader than that. Many of the travelling supporters remember the slide into League One in the 1990s, especially the darkly comic relegation from the Premier League in 1996; the diagnosis of City-itis by the former manager Joe Royle.
For sure, there are many good reasons why Inter Manager, Simone Inzaghi, had described City as the best team in the world on Friday and there was zero dissent. All the pressure was on City; the hope from Inter’s side was that they could thrive in the role of underdogs.
It wasn’t a cakewalk, nor was it particularly pretty, but the Abu Dhabi-backed club finally conquered Europe on Saturday. So, the project is now complete. Abu Dhabi’s plan to conquer the world of football has finally been accomplished. And Sheikh Mansour even turned up to see 15 years of colossal – and questionable – level of financial investment yield a first Champions League triumph for Manchester City. – With agency reports
