Man City edge out Inter to win Champions League for first time
Manchester City win their first Champions League in their history and secure the treble by beating Inter Milan 1-0.
Manchester City have won the Champions League title for the first time by beating Inter Milan 1-0 at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium to make them the second England team to complete the treble.
Rodri struck in the 68th minute on Saturday, watching the Premier League champions and FA Cup winners take home a treble of trophies this season.
Although it is the first time City have won Europe’s biggest club competition, it is Pep Guardiola’s third time as coach.
City triumphed despite losing inspirational midfielder Kevin De Bruyne to a first-half injury.
Scorer of 52 goals this season, Erling Haaland went without finding the net for a fifth time in a row, but City still had plenty of opponents who would never have been expected to get this far in the first place.
The victory means that City have finally fulfilled their ambition to reach the pinnacle of European football, 15 years after Abu Dhabi’s ruling family transformed it into the richest teams in the world.
Owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan was on hand to witness City’s crowning moment. It was only the second time in 15 years that he saw his team in person.
City’s winner came when Rodri picked up Bernardo Silva’s cut and blasted through a crowded penalty area.
The relief was unmistakable as he ran to the City fans and slid to his knees in celebration.
Romelu Lukaku had the chance for a late equalizer, but headed straight at Ederson from about four yards out.
Inter almost tied the game within minutes of that goal when Federico Dimarco hit the crossbar from close range.
He then seemed to turn in the rebound, but saw his shot return to teammate Lukaku.
It completed a treble for City, making them only the second English club to complete it after Manchester United also won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 1999.
“Incredible night, I’m so happy. Difficult to put into words. I think we made history today,” City captain Ilkat Gundogan told BT Sport.
“It was clear that it was going to be difficult for both teams. We weren’t at our best in the first half. It was a 50-50 game. One goal made the difference, as so often in finals. We feel very lucky that it was for us.
“We knew everyone was talking about the treble. The pressure was there, but I think this team is built to handle pressure as well as possible.”