The famous Città di Guardiola finally has the most coveted trophy which is the Champions League after winning a very tough final against Inter. Although admiration is achieved through play, recognition and respect are achieved through titles and especially the European Cup. It wasn’t exactly a solemn or happy match for the players, but it ended with a goal from one of the best mid-range shooters, Rodri. The 1-0 eventually crowned the young Manchester team who coexist with the old United, the only two Englishmen who can boast of having the triple crown: League, Cup and Champions. No one will be able to reproach three-time champion Guardiola for not having lifted the trophy without Messi. He didn’t even need Haaland’s goals.
1
Ederson Moraes, Manuel Akanji, Aké, Rúben Dias, Rodrigo, Gündogan, De Bruyne (Foden, 36 mins), John Stones (Walker, 82 mins), Erling Braut Haaland, Grealish and Bernardo Silva
0
Andre Onana, Darmian (D’Ambrosio, min.84), Alessandro Bastoni (Robin Gosens, min.75), Acerbi, Barella, Denzel Dumfries (Raoul Bellanova, min.76), Brozovic, Calhanoglu (Mkhitaryan, min.84) , Dimarco, Dzeko (Lukaku, min.56) and Lautaro Martínez
goals 1-0 min. 68: Rodrigo.
Referee Szymon Marciniak
Yellow cards Barella (58 min.), Lukaku (83 min.), Erling Braut Haaland (91 min.), Andre Onana (92 min.), Ederson Moraes (93 min.) and Inzaghi (96 min.)
City’s triumph was as commendable as Inter’s defeat seemed commendable. The difference was that Lukaku failed to beat Ederson after Inzaghi’s team had long disfigured Guardiola’s. Even the home factor worked in favor of the Italians because the Atatürk Olympic stadium sounded like San Siro. THE citizens they seemed more spectators than followers in the face of the clamor of the die-hard fans Nerazzurri exposed since early morning on the streets of Istanbul. The stands belonged to Inter, who were also very rooted on the pitch, and City kept the ball from the start. Nothing strange on the pitch or in the formations except the presence of Akanji for the injured Walker.
the Italian plan
Inter’s aggressiveness and pressure, however, gradually prevailed over City’s too patient and calculating game. Guardiola’s players were not in tune and Inzaghi’s players stretched well on the flanks, Dimarco deeper than Dumfries. Inter played as you know, very organized and confident with and without the ball, full of experienced players, while City had difficulty attacking, overly responsible, more compressed than released, repetitive with safety passing and no risky plays to highlight , away from Onana. Ederson, on the other hand, was shaking and the nerazzurri they did not allow Rodri into the game. The Inter goalkeeper didn’t show up until he was asked for a glimpse by Haaland. Only the torrents of the Norwegian have unleashed the skyblues until De Bruyne was wounded. The match looked more and more like the one two years ago in Porto against Chelsea. The tension was maximum and the fear of making a mistake prevailed over the search for success, even if City settled down in defense and ended up submitting Inter.
Haaland’s deselection, however, subsided with De Bruyne’s retirement. The English lose verticality, shoot from medium distance and win in dribbling with Foden’s entry. Inter have always known how to play better at 0-0 than City. So the match was a crux for the English, too rigid, with no possibility of betting on Onana. Inter’s antidote worked because they’ve always been a solid and homogeneous team, also patient and selective and today with more resources than yesterday due to the depth of the squad, as we noticed when Lukaku replaced the injured Dzeko. The Azzurri are waiting for their moment and Lautaro has the door between his feet after being enabled by Bernardo Silva and Akanji, but is reduced by a growing Ederson.
On the other hand, a little later Rodri did not forgive. In the opening game, Akanji drove in for Bernardo Silva and his cross caused a pile-up in the area that ended with the City midfielder’s deadly shot from midfield. The goal doesn’t scare Inter because immediately after Dimarco kicks on the crossbar and hits Lukaku’s body. The attacker didn’t stop shooting nor did his team, who in the end shot more than City —14 against seven—, concentrated on Ederson’s goal, who pocketed and rejected the danger as if he lived in a favela of Rio. However, the two arrivals of Foden were equally clear, who belittled in front of the feline Onana.
Manchester City, in any case, resisted and won as if they were the most successful team in the European Cup and not the champions of a Champions League which had no unprecedented king since 2012 with Chelsea. The need to win has gripped Guardiola’s modern team. The classics ensure that finals are not played, but won and the citizen They reached the culmination of a dream season and a unique tournament after defeating Bayern and Madrid. Guardiola becomes the only manager to have won the triple crown with two different teams: Barcelona and City. The one with Messi and the other with Haaland, even if the Norwegian pichichi was a spectator of Rodri’s flawless goal. No player better represents Guardiola’s sense of the game than Rodri’s central midfielder. Team work prevailed over individual work on the day City rode glory from Europe and Asia to glamorous Istanbul.
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